"Lee, the Successful Sanders" vs. "Yoon, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor"... WP Focuses on South Korea's Presidential Election

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate (left), and Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] The American daily newspaper The Washington Post (WP) presented contrasting foreign and security policies through written interviews with Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Yoon Seok-youl, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, ahead of South Korea's presidential election.

On the 7th (local time), WP said of the two candidates, "Although their visions for the country are very different, the polls are neck and neck," adding, "They plan to lead the country in almost opposite directions, and the chances of either becoming the next president are almost equal."

◆ "North Korea engagement policy, partial sanctions"... Successful Bernie Sanders Lee Jae-myung

WP first introduced candidate Lee as "South Korea's Bernie Sanders." The outlet described him as someone who started as a factory worker in his childhood, graduated from university through self-study, worked as a human rights lawyer, and then became the ruling party's presidential candidate.

WP mentioned that Lee defined President Moon Jae-in's housing policy as a failure and noted that the soaring housing prices during the Moon administration are a key issue in this South Korean presidential election.

On the other hand, WP analyzed that Lee's foreign and security policies largely overlap with President Moon's approach. It added that he would continue to pursue a North Korea engagement policy, similar to the current administration.

In the written interview, Lee stated that despite North Korea's successive missile launches, "We cannot abandon the fundamental principle that the Korean Peninsula issue must be resolved through dialogue and negotiation," proposing "a flexible approach that partially lifts sanctions simultaneously with denuclearization measures in Pyongyang, based on snapback if North Korea reverses its nuclear disarmament."

He also said, "First, I will ensure that the United States can trust its own approach to North Korea," and added, "South Korea needs to cooperate not only with the United States but also with China, North Korea's ally, to persuade North Korea to engage in peace negotiations on the Korean Peninsula."

◆ "North Korea policy will change 180 degrees"... Aggressive anti-corruption prosecutor Yoon Seok-youl

WP introduced candidate Yoon as an "aggressive anti-corruption prosecutor" who contributed to the impeachment trial that found former President Park Geun-hye guilty.

It reported that he comes from a wealthy family, majored in law at Seoul National University, and worked in central and local prosecution offices until being appointed Prosecutor General by President Moon in 2019. Although he made mistakes such as remaining silent for two minutes when the teleprompter failed during a speech as a political newcomer, WP added that he recently achieved a major victory by unifying with Ahn Cheol-soo, the leader of the People’s Party.

WP analyzed that if Yoon is elected, his hardline North Korea and China policies could significantly impact South Korea's role in Northeast Asia and its relationship with the United States. In particular, it said that under Yoon’s administration, President Moon’s North Korea policy would change 180 degrees, and that Yoon has emphasized strengthening cooperation with the United States to counter North Korea’s increasing nuclear threat.

In the written interview, Yoon said he would strive to balance conflicting security and economic interests in relations with China and pledged to strengthen cooperation with the Quad security alliance, though he did not propose official membership.

He also expressed his intention to strengthen trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan to address North Korea’s nuclear issue and global challenges, as well as to improve relations with Japan, stating, "I will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and want to revive the past tradition of South Korea-Japan 'shuttle diplomacy.'"

When asked by WP if he is a feminist, Yoon replied, "Feminism is a form of humanism that recognizes that gender discrimination and inequality are realities and is a movement to correct them. In that sense, I consider myself a feminist." However, after the report, the People Power Party’s campaign headquarters explained that due to a staff error, an abridged version rather than the original answer was delivered, resulting in a misreporting of the content.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.