World’s Female Foreign Ministers Meet to Back Iranians

Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 26, 2022. (Reuters)
Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 26, 2022. (Reuters)
TT
20

World’s Female Foreign Ministers Meet to Back Iranians

Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 26, 2022. (Reuters)
Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 26, 2022. (Reuters)

Canada's foreign minister vowed to support "the incredibly brave women of Iran" as she hosted a virtual meeting with her female counterparts around the world to discuss the crackdown against protesters in Iran.

"No longer will they tolerate the regime’s vision of the role of women in society or how women should dress and behave. In them we see our humanity. We have a moral obligation to support them," Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said.

The ministers will address the unrest ignited by Mahsa Amini's death last month in Iran while in police custody. The incident ignited one of the boldest challenges to the ruling regime since the 1979 revolution.

Their gathering "shows global solidarity for Iranian women and tells the Iranian regime that the world is watching," she said. "We have a responsibility to help amplify the voices of women in Iran."

Female foreign ministers from Germany, Chile, New Zealand and Norway were expected to attend, while another French official was expected to represent Paris, according to a Canadian government source.

It was unclear if the United States, whose top diplomat is Antony Blinken, would be represented by another official.

Other countries expected to participate were Albania, Andorra, the Central African Republic, Chile, Iceland, Kosovo, Libya, Liechtenstein, Mongolia and Panama.

The female officials were set to hear from women of Iranian heritage and to discuss ways to coordinate efforts supporting Iranians.

Canada, the United States and others have already sanctioned Tehran, and Ottawa on Wednesday announced additional sanctions.

The current unrest in Iran has raised international concerns as talks on Iran's nuclear capabilities stall and Tehran has moved to support Russia's invasion in Ukraine.

Iran has accused countries supporting protesters of meddling in its internal affairs while its religious leaders have sought to portray the unrest as part of a breakaway uprising by the Kurdish minority threatening the nation's unity.

Amini, who hailed from Iran's Kurdistan region, died Sept. 16 after being detained by Tehran's morality police over her attire.



South Korea’s Main Opposition Party Taps Former Party Chief as Presidential Candidate

South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party's former leader Lee Jae-myung delivers his speech after winning the nomination as the June 3 presidential election candidate during a party's convention in Goyang, South Korea, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party's former leader Lee Jae-myung delivers his speech after winning the nomination as the June 3 presidential election candidate during a party's convention in Goyang, South Korea, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
TT
20

South Korea’s Main Opposition Party Taps Former Party Chief as Presidential Candidate

South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party's former leader Lee Jae-myung delivers his speech after winning the nomination as the June 3 presidential election candidate during a party's convention in Goyang, South Korea, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party's former leader Lee Jae-myung delivers his speech after winning the nomination as the June 3 presidential election candidate during a party's convention in Goyang, South Korea, Sunday, April 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

South Korea’s main liberal opposition party tapped Sunday its former leader Lee Jae-myung as presidential candidate in the upcoming June 3 vote.

The Democratic Party said Lee has won nearly 90% of the votes cast during the party’s primary that ended Sunday, defeating two competitors.

Lee, a liberal who wants greater economic parity in South Korea and warmer ties with North Korea, has solidified his position as front-runner to succeed recently ousted conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Lee had led the opposition-controlled parliament’s impeachment of Yoon over his imposition of martial law before the Constitutional Court formally dismissed him in early April. Yoon’s ouster prompted a snap election set for June 3 to find a new president, who’ll be given a full, single five-year term, The AP news reported.

Lee, 60, lost the 2022 election to Yoon in the narrowest margin recorded in the country’s presidential elections.

He is the clear favorite to win the election.

In a Gallup Korea poll released Friday, 38% of respondents chose Lee as their preferred new president, while all other aspirants obtained single-digit support ratings. The main conservative People Power Party is to nominate its candidate next weekend, and its four presidential hopefuls competing to win the party ticket won combined 23% of support ratings in the Gallup survey.

Lee, who served as the governor of South Korea’s most populous Gyeonggi province and a mayor of Seongnam city, has long established an image as an anti-establishment figure who can eliminate deep-rooted unfairness, inequality and corruption in South Korea. But his critics view him as a populist who relies on stoking divisions and demonizing opponents and worry his rule would likely end up intensifying a domestic division.