S. Koreans vote for new president to succeed ousted Park

Democratic Party leader Moon Jae-in has benefited from the swing away from scandal.

Nigeria’s president says that he will meet Sunday with 82 Chibok schoolgirls freed after being kidnapped 3 years ago by Boko Haram.

SHIN MI-KYUNG: Mr. Moon described as a negotiator, and I agree that his opinion for North Korea, and we need to talk and also we need to be careful for them.

But sticking with conservative policies may mean that Moon’s plan for 500,000 new jobs per year could run into hurdles, affecting a key voter segment.

Other candidates made similar pledges.

The third leading contender, Ahn Cheol-soo, 55, of the centre-left People’s Party is focusing last minute efforts on Daejeon and the Chungcheong provinces. He also promised a 100,000 won ($88) monthly allowance for low-income families with children 11 or younger. “South Korea is caught in a conflict between the U.S. and China”.

Hong Joon-pyo, 62, from the Liberty Korea Party is to campaign in Busan and Daegu before making a brief stop in Cheonan in South Chungcheong province.

However, the Sunshine Policy was unable to bring about regime change in North Korea nor halt its acquisition of nuclear weapons.

This election could also be a referendum on North Korea policy.

The US State Department said on Monday it “was aware” of reports another US Korean citizen had been detained in North Korea.

Moon, now leading in the polls by almost 20 percent, is closely associated with the “Sunshine Policy” of engagement with North Korea – promoting economic aid and dialogue in hopes of building trust – which he supported as an aide to the last liberal president, Roh Moo-hyun. That now seems unlikely.

Mr Hong covered a similar itinerary as Mr Moon, while Mr Ahn continued his walking campaign in the southwestern Chungcheong province.

In the interview, Trump shocked the longstanding us ally and trading partner with two unexpected announcements: He wants Seoul to pay for the THAAD missile defense system the U.S.is deploying there, and he wants to renegotiate the existing free trade agreement between the two countries.

In recent weeks, however, Moon has attempted to assuage Washington’s concerns.

Moon’s election could have potentially cascading effects on U.S.

It is not exactly clear what Moon would do should he win.

A high turnout is expected – more than 2012’s 75.8 percent – with over a quarter of South Koreans having voted in early ballots. In other words, Moon simply wants to cover approval for THAAD’s deployment with the fig leaf of nominal public discussion and debate. “I think that’s part of the reason why, in fact, the deployment was accelerated”.

South Korean presidential candidate Moon Jae-In of the Democratic Party greets his supporters during his election campaign in Seoul on May 8. “I voted for Hong, as security (against North Korea) is the most important thing”, he told AFP.

Analysts say the new leader will face numerous hurdles in trying to restore faith in the people, implement much-needed reforms to revitalise the sluggish economy and create jobs, and rebuild ties with South Korea’s neighbours and the big powers.

President Trump apparently didn’t get the memo before he threatened to make South Korea pay for THAAD. It is part of the United States military build-up in Asia for war, particularly with China. Seoul and Washington say the system is aimed at safeguarding against attacks from North Korea, but Beijing says the missile system infringes on its own security and has initiated a number of informal economic sanctions.

The US is taking nothing for granted. But a threatened U.S. strike on North Korea could result in an attack on Seoul. Just briefly – how is that offer going over on the Korean Peninsula?

After tacitly backing the removal of Park Geun-hye, who pursued closer relations with Beijing, the United States is making clear there is no room for wavering with its allies.

A former human rights lawyer, and son of North Korean refugees, is set to become a pivotal figure in how the world deals with the threat of North Korea’s rogue nuclear weapons.