Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 40 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Consequences of a Cuckoo Coup: Election Day in South Korea
No deep, in-the-weeds stuff here. Just thought some of you might like to take a look at some aspects of electioneering in Korea. The snap election is today. (A snap election due to the impeachment of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, after his disastrous declaration of martial law last year.)
First, you might find it interesting that celebrity endorsements generally DON’T happen here. Celebs don’t want to alienate fans.
But you can’t even go to 7-11 without being reminded of the vote.
Here in the Seoul suburbs, every neighborhood has large banners spanning street corners promoting a candidate. (Even for the minor candidates.) Candidates and their surrogates ride in flatbed Kia Bongos through neighborhoods and city streets, exhorting voters with speeches and upbeat songs through mobile PA systems.
And you get to see the full collection of candidates EVERYWHERE. (#1 is the leftist, Lee Jae Myung; #2 is the conservative candidate, Kim Moon Soo; #4 is a spoiler conservative running independent, Lee Jun Seok; #5 is hard-left progressive, Kwan Yeong Kuk; #6 has dropped out as has the missing #3; #7 is another conservative spoiler, and #8 has a business-only agenda.)
Every home in Korea has received a packet with propaganda from each candidate:
The main candidates, 1 and 2, have multi-page booklets. Candidates 4 and 5 get one big page, while 7 and 8 get a little page. This is due to their polling results. Polling is not conducted in the week leading up to the election.
But HERE is the fun part: Every one of these promotional materials MUST list criminal convictions.
This is the back of candidate 8’s sheet. See the word 사기? That means fraud. It’s a list of fraud convictions and prison sentences going back 20 years.
Only candidates 4 & 7 have no convictions. The front runner, Lee Jae Myung, has been convicted three times and is currently under three indictments, and the #2 candidate, Kim Moon Soo, has been convicted of three crimes. (Financial and campaign violations for both, though there are also three suspiciously timed deaths connected to Lee.)
If Lee wins today—and it is likely—he has a chance with a rubber-stamp parliament to extend the presidential term, and even pack the Korean Supreme Court. The Left is the Left everywhere.
Published in General
Which ones are ramping up to send the US home?
#5 probably would, but he’s not going to win.
The frontrunner is a Nork and China appeaser/sympathizer, but hasn’t said anything about removing US troops. He probably opposes the THAAD deployment though.
I’m just happy I can consistently recognize the glyphs which I presume are #2’s name.
But I’m much happier that someone on Ricochet is so assiduously showing all this material. Thanks!
It’s much easier to appease NK and Red China when you have the 8th Army protecting you.
How do the numbers get assigned to each candidate? Is there grousing about who gets to be #1?
Are the candidate packets prepared and distributed by the government?
My understanding is it’s all due to polling. And the blue party controls the parliament, so their guy is #1. The red party has the presidency by a thread, but less control of the parliament.
The numbers and the polling correspond.
It’s all government prepped.
Something that might surprise you: the urban areas go conservative here, the rural areas go left.
Wow, what a concept. I did like Hite beer in those giant bottles when I was there. Soju, not so much.
Fun fact. The only place I have ever seen candlepin bowling outside of New England was in Seoul.
It was a landslide for the Left. Ugh.