With less than a week to go before the South Korean presidential elections, the recent announcement that North Korea has successfully launched a rocket and delivered a payload into orbit will add an extra dynamic to an already tight race.
Democratic United Party candidate Moon Jae-in promises unconditional aid to the North and, while the conservative Saenuri Party‘s Park Geun-hye is likely to be more pragmatic than current president Lee Myung-bak, her party is nevertheless favours a harder stance.
Korean netizens were more vocal than the last launch, no doubt because of its success and the potential of affecting next week’s elections. Recent polls have shown Park winning over Moon by a small margin, but it is still too early to tell whether this will affect the voting – while it may be good news to the conservatives, the launch comes at the same time as allegations of a member of the National Intelligence Service (equivalent to the CIA) who was complicit in an illegal Internet slander campaign against Moon Jae-in.
Meanwhile, many were quick to congratulate minor candidate Lee Jung-hee, who became an Internet hit for her tongue lashing against Park Geun-hye during two television debates but also for hinting her pro-North Korean tendencies when calling the South Korean government “the Southern government” (term used by North Korea).
Comments from Nate:
noji****:
Our main enemy, North Korean Workers’ Party Kim Jong-un regime.
derh****:
Lee Jung-hee says: ‘It’s a party tonight.’
bara****:
The rocket goes straight up and then straight down.
koju****:
What would Criminal Moon [Jae-in sounds similar to Jwe-in which means criminal] and Ri Jung Hi [Lee Jung-hee, surname spelled in North Korean way] say?
myki****:
Moon Jae-in says: ‘Nevertheless, it is inappropriate to call North Korea our main enemy.’
alta****:
He should’ve saved the people freezing to death with the fuel used for the rocket. The Kims are brainless, generation after generation.
sean****:
Congratulations, President Park Geun-hye.
kuki****:
North Korea: Missile launched!!!!!!
Moon Jae-in: The missile comes first!! [alludes to Moon’s presidential slogan is ‘The people come first’]
Lee Jung-hee: Our government [North Korea] launched a satellite toward the Southern government [South Korea]. ^^
miny****:
Our aid money for North Korea is being wasted.
whyj****:
I hope it falls down to the heart of Pyongyang. Tsk.
hayu****:
I can hear the sound of Moon Jae-in’s dropping approval rate.
enta****:
North Korea has enough money to launch a rocket. It seems they don’t need aid money?? We don’t have to give them any then.
alie****:
Launched it again? Please use that money to take care of your starving people, you piggy saekki~~
xwpg****:
North Korea is disrupting the Democratic United Party’s investigation on the National Intelligence Service, fuck ㅡㅡ
hh84****:
I will unconditionally vote for Park Geun-hye……. It would be good to vote for the Saenuri Party the North Korean regime is afraid of. I made up my mind after this.
njcn****:
North Korea is playing a shitty trick since it’s the election period.
hire****:
Huh? I heard the rocket separation was successful?
mrac****:
That was freaking sudden.
pani****:
It’s amazing how there’s still no riot even though their leaders commit douchebaggery like that.
kwon****:
Votes for the DUP have gone away with the missile.
