How green onions could swing South Korea's election
Country's president has fallen foul of the oldest trick in the campaign book, not knowing the price of groceries

Yoon Suk Yeol is "hardly the first" politician to appear out of touch with ordinary voters amid a cost-of-living crisis – but in the run-up to South Korea's key national elections this week, the country's conservative president found himself "tripped up by a humble vegetable".
As South Koreans headed to the polls to elect their new 300-member parliament, green onions have "gone from a simple staple of Korean cooking to a powerful symbol of voter anger over rising prices in Asia's fourth-biggest economy", said The Guardian.
What did the president say about green onions?
The furore over green onions started after President Yoon Suk Yeol visited a supermarket in Seoul last month, in a bid to "promote government efforts to tame food prices", said the Associated Press (AP). But Yoon came under criticism after commenting on the price of green onions, a staple food in the country.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Looking at a bundle of green onions on display, Yoon said he had been to many supermarkets and the store's price of 875 won (£0.51) seemed to be a "reasonable price".
However, observers quickly pointed out that the price was a temporary discount price thanks to government subsidies. The average retail price for green onions is currently around 3,000 won to 4,000 won (£1.75 to £2.33), some of the highest prices in recent years.
Yoon's People Power party is looking to take control of South Korea's assembly from a liberal majority led by the opposition Democratic party, but his ill-fated trip to the supermarket has "added to criticism that Yoon appears aloof", said The Guardian.
With food price inflation a key voter concern, the incident has "fuelled a surge in support" for smaller parties that could "upset the balance of power and render Yoon a lame-duck leader just two years into his presidency", said the paper.
What has the backlash looked like?
Opposition candidates have since brandished green onions at campaign rallies, using the incident as proof that the 63-year-old president was out of touch with the average person.
Social media has been "awash" with onion memes, with some users even posting photographs of green onions outside polling stations after the National Election Commission banned the vegetable from voting sites, citing concerns over "electoral interference".
"While people's expression of political views should be respected to the maximum level, using a certain item as a means of expression other than for their original purpose has great potential to affect the election," said the commission.
The ban "set off a fresh rush to find green onion-themed memorabilia" to take to polling stations, according to AFP. "I wasn't initially thinking about the green onion issue, but after I heard about the ban, I bought a green onion hairband and I'm determined to wear it on election day," said one voter speaking to AFP at the weekend.
What are the key issues in this year's election?
Domestic issues such as employment rates and food prices were key election issues this year, with more traditional topics – such as North Korea's nuclear threat and the US commitment to maintaining security in the region – taking a less prominent position in the national conversation.
This is in part due to South Korea's "stark" conservative-liberal divide, with many voters likely to have "already determined who they'll vote for according to their party affiliation, rather than by looking at the policies of the candidates in their districts", said AP.
But this "extreme polarisation" has led to a larger pool of "moderate voters" who eschew partisan politics and instead want to focus on domestic issues such as taxes, inflation and jobs.
"In a nutshell, even if conservatives and liberals intensely bicker over political issues, that won't influence election results much," said Choi Jin, director of the Seoul-based Institute of Presidential Leadership, speaking to AP.
"The fate of an election is rather determined by the moderates who silently monitor livelihood issues and decide who to vote for."
What next?
Some 44 million people headed to the polls, with polling stations open at 6am for 12 hours, and vote counting is now under way.
With many moderate voters undecided, it has been difficult to determine a likely electoral outcome. But in a Gallup survey on 31 March, reported The Guardian, the opposition Democratic party, led by Lee Jae-myung, was polling slightly ahead of Yoon's party, by 37% to 35%.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Sorcha Bradley is a writer at The Week and a regular on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. She worked at The Week magazine for a year and a half before taking up her current role with the digital team, where she mostly covers UK current affairs and politics. Before joining The Week, Sorcha worked at slow-news start-up Tortoise Media. She has also written for Sky News, The Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard and Grazia magazine, among other publications. She has a master’s in newspaper journalism from City, University of London, where she specialised in political journalism.
-
John Kenney's 6 favorite books that will break your heart softly
Feature The novelist recommends works by John le Carré, John Kennedy Toole, and more
-
Book reviews: 'Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America' and 'How to Be Well: Navigating Our Self-Care Epidemic, One Dubious Cure at a Time'
Feature How William F. Buckley Jr brought charm to conservatism and a deep dive into the wellness craze
-
What are Pell Grants and who do they benefit?
The Explainer These are grants, not loans — meaning students do not have to repay the funds, but they must first meet certain conditions
-
DNC rocked by high-profile departures as future is in question
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Generational shifts, ambiguous priorities, and the intensifying dangers of the Trump administration have pushed the organization into uncertain territory
-
Trump leaves G7 early, warns Tehran to evacuate
Speed Read Trump claimed to have left the summit due to ongoing issues in the Middle East
-
Is this the end for India's Maoist insurgency?
Under The Radar Narendra Modi clamps down on Naxalite jungle rebels in move some see as attempt to seize mineral wealth
-
Trump tells ICE to hit blue cities, spare farms, hotels
Speed Read Trump has targeted New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles among other cities
-
Police capture suspect in Minnesota lawmaker killing
Speed Read The suspect is accused of killing the top Democrat in the Minnesota House and her husband
-
Why is ABC's firing of Terry Moran roiling journalists?
Today's Big Question After the network dropped a longtime broadcaster for calling Donald Trump and Stephen Miller 'world-class' haters, some journalists are calling the move chilling
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests
-
A running list of all the celebrities Trump has pardoned
IN DEPTH Reality stars, rappers and disgraced politicians have received some of the high-profile pardons doled out by the president