Official campaigning kicked off Thursday for the April 10 general elections, with the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party vying fiercely for control of the National Assembly. The quadrennial race holds significant importance for the ruling party as failure to regain a majority could potentially render President Yoon Suk Yeol a lame duck for the remaining three years of his single five-y.
South Korea shifted into full-scale election mode on Thursday, with political parties launching their official campaigns to stretch until the general election on April 10 that is expected to shape the new political landscape for the next four years. For the next 13 days, eligible candidates representing their parties are allowed to use loudspeakers and trucks with megaphones for campaigning activities in open spaces .
Concerns are mounting over how easy it is for adolescents to purchase cigarettes via unmanned vending machines, which do not possess sufficiently strong age verification systems.
In the lead-up to the upcoming general elections slated for April, rival parties are scrambling to announce ambitious pledges, including those to bury railways underground in major cities. However, criticism is growing as experts pointed out that such pledges lack specific plans such as how to secure finances.