S.Korea candidates kick off presidential race dominated by scandal, third-party challenge

DEUTSCH MOTORS

15/02/2022 24:03

By Hyonhee Shin
    SEOUL, Feb 15 (Reuters) - South Korea's presidential
candidates formally began campaigning on Tuesday in what is set
to be the tightest race in 20 years between its two main
parties, dominated by scandals that have allowed a third
challenger to potentially play the role of kingmaker.
    Polls say voters are looking for a president who can clean
up polarised politics and corruption https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/my-romance-your-adultery-skoreans-sarcasm-over-hypocrisy-follows-moon-into-final-2021-04-09,
 and tackle the runaway housing prices https://www.reuters.com/markets/asia/ahead-election-south-koreas-long-frenzied-housing-market-shows-signs-cooling-2022-02-04
 and deepening inequality https://www.reuters.com/article/us-awards-oscars-southkorea-inequality-idUSKBN20414L
 that have dogged Asia's fourth-largest economy. 
    Curbing North Korea's weapons tests and resuming talks would
be a plus, but even a record month of missile testing https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korea-fires-projectiles-into-sea-off-east-coast-yonhap-2022-01-29
 by Pyongyang in January hasn't made foreign policy a key issue
for the March 9 vote in South Korea.
    But the major issues named in the polls have been
overshadowed by scandals and petty controversies, ranging from
allegations of abuse of power to spats over one candidate's
relationship with a shaman and an anal acupuncturist. 
    Fourteen candidates have signed up since official
registration opened on Sunday, with Lee Jae-myung https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skoreas-bernie-sanders-tops-presidential-polls-with-talk-universal-basic-income-2021-09-13,
 the flag-bearer of the ruling Democratic Party, facing off
against Yoon Suk-yeol https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skoreas-bernie-sanders-tops-presidential-polls-with-talk-universal-basic-income-2021-09-13,
 from the conservative main opposition People Power Party. 
    Dubbed the "unlikeable election https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skorean-voters-hold-noses-rivals-land-low-blows-unlikeable-election-2022-02-03
" due to high disapproval ratings and smear campaigns waged by
both sides, Lee and Yoon are neck and neck in polls, although
Yoon has maintained a slight lead in recent weeks. 
    A survey released on Sunday by Realmeter showed 41.6% of
respondents favoured Yoon and 39.1% picked Lee, while Southern
Post put Yoon just 0.5% ahead with 35.5%.
    That would contrast with the last three presidential
elections, which were largely predictable. The upcoming contest
could be the closest since 2002 when an opposition challenger
lost to former President Roh Moo-hyun by a 2.33% margin, or
570,980 votes.  
    "This is the foggiest election we've seen in a while, it's
very rare that a likely winner had yet to emerge just three
weeks before the vote," said Bae Jong-chan, a political analyst
who runs the Insight K think tank.
    A former governor of Gyeonggi province, Lee shot to
prominence through his aggressive handling of the coronavirus
pandemic and his advocacy of universal basic income. 
    Yoon is a political novice, but has gained popularity thanks
to his image as a staunch prosecutor-general who steered
high-profile investigations into corruption scandals engulfing
aides to former President Park Geun-hye and current President
Moon Jae-in.
    But growing frustration over mainstream politics and
controversy involving both candidates' families have been a
fillip for Ahn Cheol-soo, a renowned software mogul and doctor
who is a minor opposition contender.
    
    MERGED CAMPAIGN
    Ahn formally offered on Sunday to merge campaigns with Yoon,
saying it would expedite a "overwhelming victory" and national
unity. 
    His latest ratings hovered between 7-8% after peaking at
15%. Polls indicated a convincing victory if Yoon and Ahn unite,
although it was not clear if all Ahn's supporters would
automatically follow him on a combined ticket.
    Some officials from Yoon's campaign have also called for a
merger, floating the idea of forming a coalition government and
appointing Ahn as prime minister. 
    Yoon said he would give the proposal "positive
consideration" but said he was not entirely happy about Ahn's
call to use a poll to pick which of the two men would lead the
ticket.
    A Yoon aide said his campaign would prefer a negotiation
between the candidates to determine the flag-bearer. Ahn said he
was open to talks but would not accept unilateral demands for
him to step down.  
    Ahn's rise has come amid deepening voter disgust over
controversies involving the families of both Lee and Yoon. 
    Lee, who has apologised over his son's illegal gambling,
faces a possible criminal investigation over allegations that he
illegally hired a provincial government employee to serve his
wife as a personal assistant, and let her misappropriate
government funds through his corporate credit card.
    Lee and his wife have apologised for causing public concern
and said they would cooperate with any investigation. 
    Yoon, meanwhile, has apologised for his wife's inaccurate
resume when she applied for teaching jobs years ago, and denied
accusations from Democrats that a shaman who is close to his
wife was deeply involved in his campaign.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2T21YW
    He has also denied ties to an anal acupuncturist.
    Lee's campaign raised new allegations on Sunday that Kwon
Oh-soo, chairman and the largest shareholder of Deutsch Motors
Inc., a BMW car dealer in South Korea, sponsored Yoon's wife's
company in a bid to evade investigations while Yoon worked as a
prosecutor. Kwon was arrested last year on charges of
manipulating his firm's stock prices. 
    The ruling Democratic Party also criticised Yoon at the
weekend for putting his feet on a train seat without taking off
his shoes as lacking a sense of citizenship and public
etiquette. 
    Yoon's campaign hit back, accusing the Democrats of
levelling groundless allegations even after Lee vowed to cease
negative campaigns. 

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GRAPHIC: South Korea's presidential election    https://tmsnrt.rs/3sFDtvS
FACTBOX: Ths issues at stake in South Korea's presidential
election     urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2UP25I
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 (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Josh Smith and Raju
Gopalakrishnan)
 ((hyonhee.shin@thomsonreuters.com))