SOUTH KOREA: SOLDIERS AND STUDENT ABSENTEE VOTERS CAST THEIR VOTES FOR NEXT WEEK'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.
Record ID:
328749
SOUTH KOREA: SOLDIERS AND STUDENT ABSENTEE VOTERS CAST THEIR VOTES FOR NEXT WEEK'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.
- Title: SOUTH KOREA: SOLDIERS AND STUDENT ABSENTEE VOTERS CAST THEIR VOTES FOR NEXT WEEK'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.
- Date: 12th December 2002
- Summary: (W3) SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (DECEMBER 12, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SMV: SOLDIERS MARCHING TO VOTE. 0.08 2. VARIOUS: OF ABSENTEES' VOTE BY SOLDIERS. (5 SHOTS) 0.38 3. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) 20-YEAR-OLD LEE NAM-HUN SAYING: "This is the first time I am voting in a presidential election. As a Korean, I am glad I can elect the leader of my country." 0.46 4. WS: MORE OF SOLDIERS VOTING. (2 SHOTS) 0.58 5. MV: PROFESSOR KANG WON-TAEK WORKING AT HIS DESK. 1.14 6. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) KANG WON-TAEK, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AT SOONGSIL UNIVERSITY, SAYING: "Lee Hoi-chang, the opposition candidate, represents the conservative ideology. By contrast, Roh Moo-hyun, who came from the governing party, represents rather liberal ideology. But what matters here is that the supporters are -- the supporters have the similar view with the candidate who they support. So, now the ideology matters in this election." 1.34 7. CU: ROFESSOR KANG. 1.41 8. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) KANG WON-TAEK SAYING: "Young voters are like Roh Moo-hyun. By contrast, Roh Moo-hyun is very unpopular among the old generation. And, by contrast, Lee Hoi-chang is quite popular among the old generation, but he does not succeed in attracting young voters. So, generation also matters in this election." 2.02 9. WS: YONSEI UNIVERSITY 2.08 10. SLV/MV:VARIOUS OF POSTERS OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES/ POSTERS OF LEE HOI-CHANG (LEFT) AND ROH MOO-HYUN. (3 SHOTS) 2.27 11. VARIOUS: OF ABSENTEES' VOTE BY STUDENTS. (5 SHOTS) 2.55 12. CU: (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) 21-YEAR-OLD HWANG JIN-CHEOL SAYING: "If you appeal to people's sensibility, that might attract people's votes. But to be President, the person in the country's top leading position, one should have a reason. That is how I chose." 3.06 13. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) 19-YEAR-OLD CHEONG SEUNG-JIN SAYING: "I consider myself as one of the populace, so I elected a candidate who can stand up for the populace. After examining the policies of each candidate, I also chose the one I think is most trustworthy." 3.19 14. MV/LAS: MORE OF STUDENTS VOTING. 3.30 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 27th December 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
- Country: South Korea
- Reuters ID: LVA9P9MX6CLZGMDCPYLFTW53X3DQ
- Story Text: South Korean soldiers and students cast their votes for
next week's presidential elections.
Tens of thousands of South Korean absentee voters began
to cast their ballots on Thursday (December 12), heralding the
final phase of the presidential race.
On December 19, South Korea's 35 million voters will elect
a successor to outgoing President Kim Dae-jung in a contest
taking place under the shadow of North Korea's nuclear arms
standoff with Seoul's main ally the United States.
The National Election Commission said about 813,000 people
will cast their absentee votes until Saturday (December 14) at
490 polling stations throughout the country, including those
at the military bases and universities.
A soldier said he was glad to be old enough to elect a
president at the polling station after casting his vote.
"This is the first time I am voting in a presidential
election. As a Korean, I am glad I can elect the leader of my
country," 20-year-old Lee Nam-hun (pronounced as LEE
NAHM-HEON) said.
South Korea's presidential race may be a close one,
pitting conservative favourite Lee Hoi-chang (pronounced as
LEE HOI-CHAHNG) against Roh Moo-hyun (pronounced as ROH
MOO-HYEON), the direct inheritor of Kim Dae-jung's "Sunshine
Policy" of engagement with North Korea.
A political analyst said this presidential election
differed in many aspects from previous ones, saying that
ideology was of particular importance in this race.
"Lee Hoi-chang, the opposition candidate, represents the
conservative ideology. By contrast, Roh Moo-hyun, who came
from the governing party, represents rather liberal ideology.
But what matters here is that the supporters are -- the
supporters have the similar view with the candidate who they
support. So, now the ideology matters in this election," said
professor Kang Won-taek at Soongsil University.
Kim is limited by the constitution to a single five-year
term and will step down in late February.
Roh, a 56-year-old former lawyer, is the standard-bearer
of the centre-left Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), founded
by Kim Dae-jung. He recently regained popularity in the polls
after announcing a joint platform with the National Alliance
21 party, whose presidential candidate had been South Korean
soccer chief Chung Mong-joon.
Lee, a 67-year-old former judge and former prime minister,
finished second in the 1997 presidential election. He had been
consistently ahead in opinion polls for months as his party
capitalised on ruling party scandals.
Kang pointed out that generation gaps would also play a
role in the upcoming election.
"Young voters like Roh Moo-hyun. By contrast, Roh Moo-hyun
is very unpopular among the old generation. And, by contrast,
Lee Hoi-chang is quite popular among the old generation, but
he does not succeed in attracting young voters. So, generation
also matters in this election," said Kang.
College students were able to vote on their school
campuses for the first time this year, where 2,839 youngsters
cast their votes on Thursday (December 12).
And they had reasons to support a candidate they liked.
"If you appeal to people's sensibility, that might attract
people's votes. But to be President, the person in the
country's top leading position, one should have a reason. That
is how I chose," said 21-year-old Hwang Jin-cheol.
"I consider myself as one of the populace, so I elected a
candidate who can stand up for the populace. After examining
the policies of each candidate, I also chose the one I think
is most trustworthy," said 19-year-old Cheong Seung-jin.
The December vote is expected to turn on issues such as
taxes, education and housing costs, but North Korea's recent
admission to running a covert uranium enrichment programme for
weapons has added a huge foreign policy challenge.
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