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First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
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[Analysis] Victory comes with a price for DP
Park, Ahn and Moon likely to gain more political influence The main opposition Democratic Party scored a major win against the Grand National Party in the Seoul mayoral by-election, but that victory came with its own political cost, political observers said Wednesday. The liberal party lent its full support to Park Won-soon, an independent candidate backed by civil groups, in order to take Seoul from the control of the conservative GNP. The decision to root for a civil activist, not one of its p
Oct. 26, 2011
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Park’s victory a bitter blow for ruling party
Wednesday’s election victory of opposition-backed civic activist Park Won-soon rocked the ruling party, added to President Lee Myung-bak’s woes, and rattled the country’s traditional two-party political landscape.The 9 percentage-point gap in television exit polls piled pressure on the Grand National Party and the presidential office, already reeling from a series of setbacks including an opposition offensive on Lee’s purchase of property for his retirement and the bribery allegations of two of
Oct. 26, 2011
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High turnout indicates hopes for change
Nearly 50 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots in the Seoul mayoral by-election Wednesday, seemingly indicating their desire for change as the presidential race draws closer. Turnout was more than 48 percent, according to the election watchdog, with more than 4 million out of the 8.3 million Seoul voters turning up at polling stations. The turnout for 11 other posts in smaller local municipalities stood at 46 percent, the National Election Commission said.The higher-than-expected turnou
Oct. 26, 2011
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N.K. blasts GNP on election day
North Korea on Wednesday attempted to influence elections in South Korea, urging voters to judge the “pro-U.S. and dictatorial” administration of President Lee Myung-bak and the Grand National Party. “The time calls for the people of South Korea to hand down a judgment on candidates of the GNP, who have tried to conjure up ghosts from the Yushin dictatorial regime,” the communist country said in a posting on its official website “Uriminjokkiri.” “Oct. 26 is the day when the military dictator was
Oct. 26, 2011
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Exit polls turn out in Park’s favor
Seoul voter turnout 48.6 percentCelebration and disappointment were seen in the liberal and ruling camps, respectively, as Seoul mayoral by-election exit polls favored Park Won-soon.In the exit poll jointly conducted by public broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS, Park got 54.4 percent of respondents’ vote
Oct. 26, 2011
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Camps tense over turnout
Eyes were fixed Wednesday on the voter turnout of the Seoul mayoral by-election, which is to set the tone for next year’s general and presidential races.According to the National Election Commission, 2.69 million out of 8.37 million voters or 32.2 percent cast their ballot as of 3 p.m. in 2,206 polling stations throughout Seoul.Seocho-gu, the relatively affluent district in southern Seoul, showed a visible rise in turnout in the early morning hours before 9 a.m. but was overrun after lunchtime b
Oct. 26, 2011
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Candidates eschew flashy campaigns
In terms of campaigning, the race for Seoul mayor was characterized by how relatively unflashy it was, focusing instead on volunteering and directly communicating with citizens.The most conspicuous change from past races was the relative lack of loudspeakers, which were typical of street campaigning in the past.The two candidates decided they should listen more and speak less to win the public’s heart, especially considering the public’s general discontent with politics and the ongoing economic
Oct. 26, 2011
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Voters hope new Seoul mayor will bring better welfare
Although it was early in the morning with the mercury dipping to 3 degrees Celsius, the lowest this fall, voters in Seoul cast their ballots in the hopes that the new mayor would enhance their welfare. Featuring an unprecedented contest between a ruling party standard-bearer and a civil society leader, the by-election drew keen attention as its outcome was expected to be a crucial gauge of public sentiment ahead of the general and presidential elections next year.“All voters including myself wan
Oct. 26, 2011
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Election a warm-up for presidential race
GNP hopefuls’ push for Blue House candidacy may sap Lee’s powerThe by-elections on Wednesday cleared the runways for presidential aspirants to make their sorties for the big race next year, pushing President Lee Myung-bak deeper into his lame duck status. The bustle for the 2012 election within the ruling party, which began to turn a cold shoulder to Lee early this year by boycotting his top state auditor nominee, is to overshadow Cheong Wa Dae at a much greater pace.The Seoul mayoral by-electi
Oct. 26, 2011
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Parliamentary committee passes procedural law on FTAs
SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- A parliamentary trade committee on Tuesday passed a law on the procedures for signing and implementation of a trade pact, considered a first step to ratifying the long-delayed Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA).The procedural law makes it mandatory for the government to
Oct. 26, 2011
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Voting under way for Seoul mayoral, local by-elections
Polls opened Wednesday for the Seoul mayoral vote and other local by-elections seen as a significant test for the rival parties and presidential hopefuls before South Korea elects a new parliament and a new president next year.At stake are the Seoul mayoralty and 11 other posts in smaller local muni
Oct. 26, 2011
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Lee to write to lawmakers on FTA
Assembly committee to begin deliberation on U.S. free trade dealPresident Lee Myung-bak plans to send a letter to parliamentarians urging them to swiftly ratify a pending free trade agreement with the United States, officials at the presidential office said Tuesday. In the letter to be sent to all 295 members of the National Assembly, Lee will appeal to opposition lawmakers that the ratification motion should at least be processed in accordance with parliamentary rules. The bill currently stands
Oct. 25, 2011
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Rivals enter last day campaign sprint
GNP’s Na tours city on foot; independent Park spends whole night campaigning in streetsThe conservative and the liberal candidates for Seoul mayor were hard at last-minute campaigning Tuesday, a day before polls open.The Grand National Party and its candidate Na Kyung-won urged conservative voters to unite and stand against the left-wing bloc, while unified liberal candidate Park Won-soon and the Democratic Party focused on ensuring a high turnout, especially among younger voters.“I hope that th
Oct. 25, 2011
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Lee’s book stresses unification, green growth
President’s English autobiography ‘The Uncharted Path’ to be published in U.S. on Nov. 1President Lee Myung-bak reiterated his commitment to unification with North Korea and his trademark policy of “green growth” in his upcoming autobiography, saying a unified Korea would be a blessing for the world, and he would continue to champion a greener future after leaving office.“A peaceful peninsula will have enormous benefits that will go far beyond the region,” Lee says in the English-language autobi
Oct. 25, 2011
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Turnout in age groups key factor in by-election
Surveys show Park backed by 20s and 30s, but Na prevails among 50s and upWith Wednesday’s Seoul mayoral vote widely perceived as a curtain-raiser to the presidential race next year, political observers are zeroing in on several key factors that could determine the outcome such as the voter turnout among the young and the weather.Latest surveys showed that opposition candidate Park Won-soon was mostly backed by voters in their 20s and 30s while support for ruling the Grand National Party’s Rep. N
Oct. 25, 2011
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Economic slowdown to affect 2012 polls
The economic slowdown, if it extends well into next year, may hold sway over the results of the parliamentary and presidential elections, observers say.The ruling Grand National Party and its presidential frontrunner Rep. Park Geun-hye are positioned to feel the chill from a cooling economy more than the opposition bloc.Aides to Park have recently expressed concerns over the impact of the prolonged economic slump on her prospects for succeeding in her second presidential challenge. They fear det
Oct. 25, 2011
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Lawmakers move to raise penalties on rapes of children, disabled
SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- Lawmakers on Tuesday moved to raise penalties for rapes of children and disabled people in a bid to curb sex crimes against the most vulnerable.A sub-committee of the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee passed a revision bill lifting the statute of limita
Oct. 25, 2011
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Despite some progress, parties still split on FTA
Opposition rejects proposal for special parliamentary address by LeePolitical parties made some progress Monday in talks over the proposed free trade agreement with the U.S., but key differences remained. Two committees of the National Assembly began the handling of all 14 bills that need to be approved for the FTA to take effect. The bills would revise local rules to abolish tariffs and import barriers between the two countries.Members of the National Assembly’s foreign affairs and trade commit
Oct. 24, 2011
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Will Ahn’s backing be decisive factor in Seoul election?
DP predicts win, while GNP denies Ahn effect on raceProfessor Ahn Cheol-soo finally responded to the liberal bloc’s repeated calls on Sunday and announced he would campaign for candidate Park Won-soon ahead of Wednesday’s Seoul mayoral election.The Seoul National University professor expressed his intent to support the civic activist, according to sources in Park’s camp. “Ahn called Park this evening and offered his hand, saying that he shall specify and confirm his decision tomorrow,” said Park
Oct. 24, 2011
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Lee promotes career bureaucrat to vice unification minister
President Lee Myung-bak on Monday promoted Kim Chun-sig, one of his chief negotiators with North Korea, to vice minister of unification, on the advice of his close friend who became minister a month ago.Lee is also expected to name later this week, after Wednesday’s by-elections, successors to the knowledge economy minister and chief of the Presidential Security Service who resigned last month and last week, respectively. Lee was mulling former and incumbent police chiefs, one of his aides said
Oct. 24, 2011