Archives South Korea - Page 8 of 17 - New Eastern Outlook

Back in the summer of 2022, factional infighting in the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) had gotten so out of hand that interim party chief Woo Sang-ho suggested getting rid of insults such as the word “watermelon.” In South Korea, this is considered a significant insult, despite its seemingly minor nature. For instance, the term ’banana’ is sometimes used as an insult towards American or overly Westernized South Koreans, implying that they are “yellow on the outside but white on the inside.”…

During a ceremony held on January 6, 2024 to mark the 100^th anniversary of the birth of former President Kim Dae-jung, who led the country from 1998-2003, leading politicians from rival parties called for “unity and tolerance” to bring harmony into society deeply divided by “extremist politics”. “Politics is now mired in confrontation, antagonism and division,” National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, co-chair for the event, said in his congratulatory speech. “What former President Kim would have wanted from us was, of course, national unity,” he said. Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who also serves as a co-chair, said the politics had partly instigated distrust and hatred, stressing that “national unity and solidarity” were the only way to overcome crises…

The People Power Party (PPP) has undergone a long and difficult journey to reach its current situation. Our story begins in August 2022 when Lee Jun-seok’s party membership was suspended for six months by the ethics committee. Later, Lee Jun-seok was suspended from the party for one year and six months for destroying evidence of receiving sexual favors. Yoon’s team won this round, but none of the core members wanted to take first place. For instance, lawmaker Chang Jae-won, a key associate of the president, stated that he did not post as a conservative leader due…