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Democratic Party Lee Jae-myung, right, and People Power Party Yoon Suk-yeol at a studio in Mapo on Monday before the televised presidential candidate debate. [YONHAP] The Democratic Party's candidate for president has stunned the nation by declaring that the won is close to becoming a key international currency. Lee Jae-myung made the comment Monday during a televised debate. He is being attacked not only for his inaccurate description of the won's position in the world financial markets, but also for his seeming lack of understanding of the economics behind the assertion. It could be a damaging misstep, as he has staked his candidacy on his deft handling of economic matters as Seongnam mayor and Gyeonggi governor. During the debate, he said Korea can afford to issue more debt because the won is already close to becoming a key currency globally. Internationalized currency can push their debt to a higher percent of GDP because the debt is more widely held by investors and … [Read more...] about Lee Jae-myung’s currency comment raises eyebrows and questions

AGING PHENOMENON Around 20 senior citizens participate in the 15-lap San Roque Bike Fest 2022 on Sunday, covering a 700-meter stretch of inner roads in Marikina City. The Commission on Population and Development also on Sunday noted a rise in the number of the elderly to twice their population just two decades ago, while the “number of young Filipinos appears to be trending significantly lower in recent years.” —LYN RILLON The global phenomenon of an aging population is creeping into the Philippines. The Commission on Population and Development (Popcom), citing recent data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), said the percentage of Filipino elderly in the population has expanded in the last two decades, rising to 8.5 percent in 2020 from 5.9 percent in 2000. It said the number of so-called senior citizens, or Filipinos age 60 years and above, doubled to 9.2 million in 2020 from 4.5 million 20 years ago. “The number of seniors is on the rise due to better health and … [Read more...] about ‘Opportunity’: PH senior population on the rise