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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Raphael Rashid in Seoul and Justin McCurry in Tokyo

From the frying pan to the fire: green onions ignite voter anger in South Korea’s elections

South Korean farmers wave green onions with a sign reading
South Korean farmers wave green onions with a sign reading ‘The president's monthly salary of 875 won is appropriate!’ at a rally outside the government complex in Sejong. National assembly elections are being held on Wednesday. Photograph: YONHAP/AFP/Getty Images

Yoon Suk Yeol is hardly the first elected politician to appear out of touch with ordinary voters during a cost-of-living crisis. But as South Korea prepares for key national assembly elections on Wednesday, its conservative president has been tripped up by a humble vegetable.

In recent weeks, 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.

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