Korea’s Presidential Election Impacted by Candidate Scandal and Ukraine
Picture of South Korean presidential candidates Yoon Suk-Yeol (left) and Lee Jae-Myung (right). Photo: Lee Jin-man/ Associated Press
South Korea, with its presidential election taking place in less than a week, is experiencing various scandals surrounding its candidates as well as a global conflict of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The major scandals revolving around each candidate are focused on their own past actions, and their wives. Yoon and Lee each face different accusations from their opposing party. Yoon, the candidate from the People’s Power Party, is being criticized for his possible relation to shamans and fortune tellers who allegedly offered him assistance during his political campaign.
Lee, the candidate from the Democratic Party, is facing even more severe allegations. On top of worrisome facts that he has committed multiple crimes in the past including drunk driving, Lee is also accused of amassing over $450 million via an illegally planned renovation of Daejang-dong when he was mayor of Seongnam.
These scandals are just the tip of the iceberg for both candidates. Kim Keon-hee, the wife of Yoon, was accused of having written false information on her resume by the opposing Democratic Party. Yoon and Kim both had to apologize separately in order to restore their credibility to the Korean people.
Lee’s wife is also facing accusations that she used government workers for her own personal luxuries such as getting groceries and prescribed medications; this also resulted in Lee and his wife, Kim Hye-kyung, apologizing for the sake of their reputation and the imminent presidential election.
Picture of former South Korean presidential candidate Ahn Cheol-soo who joined Yoon Seok-Yul’s campaign. Photo: Rappler
Among the chaotic scandals surrounding the candidates from the two biggest parties, Ahn Cheol-soo, a presidential candidate from the People's Party with the third-highest approval rate, decided to merge with Yoon at the last minute before the start of the pre-voting day, in an effort to change the current regime of the Democratic Party.
Putting domestic issues aside, the Korean presidential election is also being affected to a great extent by the Russian-Ukraine war. As a country situated below the regimes of North Korea, China, and Russia, South Korea and its politics amidst the presidential election were deeply influenced by Russia’s recent invasion. Lee experienced strong backlash from Korean citizens and others across the globe after publicly criticizing Ukraine President Zelenskyy for being a novice political leader whose lack of experience caused Russia to invade Ukraine.
On the other hand, Yoon used this as a chance to sway neutral voters who are feeling anxious about the current situation by holding a firm stance on employing more THAAD and strengthening military power. Regardless of who gets elected in this chaotic election, the new Korean president is subjected to play a crucial role in international politics as Korea’s geographical significance remains prominent amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and China’s threat to attack Taiwan.