Through the Lens: Philippine election drama and South Korea prepares to vote

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks during a rally on March 9. Tens of millions of Filipinos voted in the country's midterm elections on May 12, which decided half the seats in the 24-seat Senate, all 317 members of the House of Representatives and thousands of local municipal leaders and legislators. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)

Supporters attend a campaign rally in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, on May 9 for senatorial candidates running under President Marcos’ Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas (“alliance for a new Philippines”) party. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)

President Marcos and senatorial candidates from his party attend a rally in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, ahead of the midterm elections. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)

Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte, second from left, raises her arms during a Partido Demokratiko ng Pilipinas (“democratic party of the Philippines”) rally in Manila on May 8. The elections come at a turbulent time in domestic politics. Experts see the vote as a proxy battle between the feuding Marcos and Duterte families. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi）

Supporters of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte cheer during a final PDP rally in Manila on May 8. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi）

Supporters of Vice President Sara Duterte shine lights from their mobile phones during a campaign event in Manila on May 8. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)

A sign at a shop in Metro Manila advertises a ban on the sale of alcohol in the Philippines on May 11 and 12. The authorities' aim is to keep disorder to a minimum during the election. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)

Election posters are displayed on a street in Metro Manila on May 12. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi) 

Filipinos wait to vote at a polling station in Metro Manila on May 12. Some voters said on social media that it took four hours to cast their ballots. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)

Voters fill out ballots at a polling station in Metro Manila on May 12, with little to keep their choices secret apart from a folder. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. casts his ballot at a polling station in Batac City, Ilocos Norte province, on May 12. (Photo by Presidential Communications Office/AP)

Vice President Sara Duterte shows the indelible ink on her finger after casting her vote at a polling center in Davao City on May 12. (AP Photo/Manman Dejeto)

Reporters await election results at the campaign headquarters of President Marcos in Metro Manila on May 12. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)

Police officers block marchers during a demonstration on May 13 in Manila calling for fair elections, a day after the midterm elections. (Photo by Lisa Marie David/Reuters)

Kim Moon-soo, presidential candidate of the conservative People Power Party, talks with former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in Seoul on May 8. Kim's candidacy was confirmed following an internal conflict over who would represent the People Power Party, Kim or former Prime Minister and acting President Han Duck-soo. Han, a veteran technocrat and former ambassador to Washington, resigned as acting president to throw his hat in the ring, hoping to win the party's nomination. (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

Kim Moon-soo, presidential candidate of the conservative People Power Party, appears at a campaign rally at a traditional market in Daegu, South Korea, on May 12, two months after the Constitutional Court upheld the National Assembly's impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol. The vote to replace him will take place June 3. (Photo by Yonhap/Reuters)

Supporters of Kim Moon-soo, presidential candidate of the conservative People Power Party, cheer as Kim meets former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in Seoul on May 8 to discuss strategy. (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuteres)

Banners of presidential candidates Kim Moon-soo of the People Power Party, top, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, center, and Lee Jun-seok of the New Reform Party are displayed on a Seoul street on May 13, ahead of the June 3 election. (Photo by Ahn Young-joon/AP)

Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, puts on a campaign vest over a bulletproof vest during the official kickoff rally for the June 3 presidential election at Cheonggye Plaza in Seoul on May 12. Following intelligence reports of a possible attack after the Dec. 3 martial law declaration, the party has had Lee wear knife-resistant gear, but this was his first public appearance in a bulletproof vest on the official campaign trail. (Photo by Chris Jung/Getty Images)

Supporters of Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, pose for photographs during an election rally in Seoul on May 12. (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

Supporters of Lee Jae-myung, presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, cheer during an event in Seoul on May 12. (Photo by Lee Jin-man/AP)

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, steps down from the stage after delivering his first campaign speech during the party's central election committee kickoff rally at Cheonggye Plaza in Seoul on May 12, marking the first official day of campaigning for the June 3 presidential election. A supporter in traditional hanbok dress records the moment on video. (Photo by Chris Jung/Getty Images)

A sencha green tea farm in Wazuka, Kyoto. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

Volunteers pick sencha tea leaves at a farm in Wazuka, Japan, on April 16. Less traditional farms harvest leaves mechanically. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

Steamed tea leaves are mixed in Wazuka on April 16: Expanding output requires considerable resources, time and labor. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

A global matcha boom has been drawing strong interest from both international tourists and overseas importers. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)