The China Mail - South Korea presidential candidates rally ahead of June 3 vote

USD -
AED 3.672902
AFN 69.589337
ALL 86.196303
AMD 383.859677
ANG 1.789679
AOA 917.499003
ARS 1184.254303
AUD 1.546934
AWG 1.80125
AZN 1.694587
BAM 1.716751
BBD 2.020004
BDT 122.248895
BGN 1.719075
BHD 0.376942
BIF 2978.161263
BMD 1
BND 1.289088
BOB 6.91329
BRL 5.634397
BSD 1.000478
BTN 85.714411
BWP 13.42977
BYN 3.274157
BYR 19600
BZD 2.009647
CAD 1.372465
CDF 2865.000411
CHF 0.823703
CLF 0.024493
CLP 939.889814
CNY 7.204302
CNH 7.190605
COP 4126.73
CRC 509.280187
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 96.783962
CZK 21.88202
DJF 177.719882
DKK 6.557399
DOP 59.074211
DZD 131.742973
EGP 49.6724
ERN 15
ETB 136.603394
EUR 0.87913
FJD 2.253301
FKP 0.738134
GBP 0.73949
GEL 2.740121
GGP 0.738134
GHS 10.234759
GIP 0.738134
GMD 71.999878
GNF 8671.189952
GTQ 7.683564
GYD 209.312226
HKD 7.84522
HNL 26.067264
HRK 6.6213
HTG 130.971556
HUF 354.816026
IDR 16338.7
ILS 3.52005
IMP 0.738134
INR 85.710498
IQD 1310.60483
IRR 42125.000185
ISK 127.120222
JEP 0.738134
JMD 159.588148
JOD 0.708976
JPY 143.876503
KES 129.249843
KGS 87.450242
KHR 4012.253568
KMF 434.492751
KPW 899.938458
KRW 1377.349776
KWD 0.30675
KYD 0.833699
KZT 512.413814
LAK 21608.858421
LBP 89641.915111
LKR 299.478195
LRD 199.594474
LSL 17.918047
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 5.44659
MAD 9.199853
MDL 17.207661
MGA 4546.831043
MKD 54.05916
MMK 2099.400036
MNT 3577.427298
MOP 8.084845
MRU 39.548122
MUR 45.430453
MVR 15.46004
MWK 1734.817929
MXN 19.261498
MYR 4.245012
MZN 63.910064
NAD 17.919148
NGN 1582.710265
NIO 36.813209
NOK 10.146435
NPR 137.144011
NZD 1.666486
OMR 0.384499
PAB 1.000478
PEN 3.622248
PGK 4.110455
PHP 55.705988
PKR 283.16743
PLN 3.76045
PYG 7993.890691
QAR 3.647886
RON 4.445597
RSD 103.032985
RUB 78.977411
RWF 1415.568
SAR 3.750807
SBD 8.350767
SCR 14.728869
SDG 600.499678
SEK 9.62136
SGD 1.289195
SHP 0.785843
SLE 22.719686
SLL 20969.500214
SOS 571.77717
SRD 37.147504
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.753697
SYP 13001.814997
SZL 17.910828
THB 32.6365
TJS 9.904631
TMT 3.505
TND 2.978113
TOP 2.342097
TRY 39.131602
TTD 6.788647
TWD 29.999587
TZS 2689.999828
UAH 41.553336
UGX 3643.641183
UYU 41.710188
UZS 12840.453265
VES 94.846525
VND 26055
VUV 120.837102
WST 2.761673
XAF 575.774626
XAG 0.028977
XAU 0.000298
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.712934
XOF 575.759464
XPF 104.682446
YER 243.85015
ZAR 17.875799
ZMK 9001.202368
ZMW 26.862292
ZWL 321.999592
  • CMSC

    0.0400

    22.11

    +0.18%

  • BCC

    2.0500

    87.15

    +2.35%

  • RBGPF

    -1.5000

    67.5

    -2.22%

  • SCS

    0.3150

    10.505

    +3%

  • GSK

    -1.2000

    40.455

    -2.97%

  • RIO

    -0.7000

    58.88

    -1.19%

  • AZN

    0.1900

    72.12

    +0.26%

  • BTI

    1.0450

    46.435

    +2.25%

  • NGG

    -0.5600

    71.37

    -0.78%

  • JRI

    0.0540

    12.97

    +0.42%

  • BP

    0.0320

    29.597

    +0.11%

  • CMSD

    0.0139

    22.08

    +0.06%

  • RYCEF

    0.1700

    12.05

    +1.41%

  • RELX

    -0.5200

    54.06

    -0.96%

  • BCE

    -0.3500

    21.93

    -1.6%

  • VOD

    -0.0900

    10.31

    -0.87%

South Korea presidential candidates rally ahead of June 3 vote
South Korea presidential candidates rally ahead of June 3 vote / Photo: © AFP

South Korea presidential candidates rally ahead of June 3 vote

South Korea's leading candidates held major campaign events Sunday, two days out from a snap election triggered by the former president's removal after his disastrous declaration of martial law.

Text size:

The June 3 election is set to cap months of political turmoil sparked by Yoon Suk Yeol's brief suspension of civilian rule in December, for which he was impeached and removed from office.

All major polls have put liberal Lee Jae-myung well ahead in the presidential race, with the latest Gallup survey showing 49 percent of respondents viewed him as the best candidate.

Kim Moon-soo, from the conservative People Power Party (PPP) -- Yoon's former party -- trailed Lee on 35 percent.

The 60-year-old Lee began his rally in his hometown of Andong, 240 kilometres (150 miles) southeast of Seoul, telling his supporters he would seek to weaken the concentration of development in the capital region and boost areas away from Seoul.

"We should not simply seek a regional equal development strategy but rather provide more incentives for non-Seoul regions to support them more," said Lee, wearing a bulletproof vest.

Lee has been campaigning with additional security measures, including bulletproof shields set up on the podium.

He was stabbed in the neck in January 2024 in Busan by a man pretending to be a supporter, who later confessed that his intention was to kill Lee to prevent him from becoming president.

At his rally in the conservative stronghold of Daegu, Lee said he would seek to improve ties with nuclear-armed North Korea through dialogue -- hinting at a departure from the hawkish stance taken by impeached former president Yoon.

"Isn't real national strength about achieving peace through communication and finding a path to mutual prosperity, rather than pursuing confrontation?" he said.

"Competent national security means building peace in which there is no need to fight."

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in years, partly due to Yoon's hardline policies towards the North, which has bolstered ties with Moscow, including sending weapons and soldiers to help it fight Kyiv.

- 'Bulletproof measures' -

The conservative People Power Party candidate Kim Moon-soo kicked off a rally on Sunday in Suwon by commenting on rival Lee's security measures.

"Look, I'm not wearing a bulletproof vest, right? But Lee is now even using bulletproof shields, feeling the vest isn't enough," he said.

"With such bulletproof measures, Lee is poised to impose his own dictatorship and we must stop it," Kim added.

While most polls conducted before the blackout placed Kim a distant second, he expressed confidence in winning.

"I believe a major turnaround is currently taking place," he said.

South Korea has entered a so-called "dark campaign period" during which the results of public opinion polls are barred from being disclosed, although pollsters are still conducting surveys.

Nearly 35 percent of voters have already cast their ballots -- taking advantage of two days of early voting earlier last week, according to the National Election Commission.

The winner of the June 3 election will take office the following day on a single five-year term, with no transition period.

Front-runner Lee's likely victory could prove a "a watershed moment in South Korean politics, ending six months of turbulence for democracy since former president Yoon's errant declaration of martial law", said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

Lee "has proved to be a political survivor, after legal scandals, questionable opposition tactics, and even threats to his life," he added.

R.Lin--ThChM