13) SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IN FULL SWING
By Sean Burton
South Koreans will vote for a new president on December 19 as Lee Myung‑bak's single five‑year term comes to an end. Several candidates have registered, but the focus has been on three: Ahn Cheol‑soo, Park Geun‑hye, and Moon Jae‑in.
Ahn Cheol‑soo, a computer technology entrepreneur and professor at Seoul National University, is known primarily for his company's widely‑used antivirus software. Registered as an independent until Nov. 23, Ahn presented himself as delivering "new politics", condemning the Lee Myung‑bak administration and adopting a populist platform similar to the late president Roh Moo‑hyun.
Moon Jae‑in, a civil rights lawyer and a close friend of President Roh who served as his chief of staff, has been registered as the Democratic United Party candidate. The DUP is ultimately derived from liberal groups that supported Roh ten years ago, and Kim Dae‑jung years before that.
The similarities between candidates Ahn and Moon led to talks about joining forces. Ultimately, Ahn resigned his candidacy. So far, Moon is doing what the opposition has done for years: present himself as the inheritor of Roh's legacy against right‑wing politics. A Moon victory probably won't bring substantial change, but would likely see a change toward north Korea. Whether that means a return to the "Sunshine Policy" of Kim and Roh is not yet clear.
Then there is Park Geun‑hye. As the daughter of military dictator and architect of modern south Korea Park Chung‑hee, Park Geun‑hye carries a certain legacy. To her supporters in the New Frontier Party, Park is just what the doctor ordered: a strong commitment to conservative principles and a direct connection to the man who facilitated rapid economic expansion in the 1970s. This allows her to present herself in a very different light from the much‑maligned Lee Myung‑bak. Even beyond right‑wing circles, General Park's legacy is still often a cause for positive opinions. But Park Geun‑hye's opponents look at history differently. Many found themselves arrested and tortured by the so‑called Yushin government just for being activists.
Painfully aware of these things, Park's angle has been to present herself, absurdly, as non‑ideological. Naturally she doesn't dwell on her father's regime. A few months earlier, Park apologized for some of those who suffered in the past. It rang rather hallow, as it was never specified exactly what she was apologizing for.
Regarding her father's 1961 coup d'etat, which General Park called a "revolution to save the country", his daughter called it "an event that happened which cannot be refuted", and insisted that it is not the province of politicians to judge the matter, but a job for historians. After all, why "live in the past"?
Presenting herself as non‑ideological, Park instead applies such labels to her opponents. Even the late president Roh was accused of waging ideological battles, such as attacking the National Security Law and the Private Education Act, dividing and agitating the people.
It is easy to see through Park's comments. Everyone understands that the National Security Law can get people arrested or threatened even for innocuous activities, just for being remotely pro‑DPRK or anti‑imperialist. A number of internet message boards have gotten people in trouble this year. The law was made to reinforce the previous dictatorship and prevent any real engagement with the north. Park acts as if the law was always there; questioning this "natural" entity in the service of Korea means being "ideological", i.e. belonging to the wrong ideology.
Candidate Moon has been poking holes in Park's view of Korean history, as well as mocking her pampered upbringing. Conservatism and liberalism are set for a heated campaign against each other.
Where is south Korea's left in all of this? Moon and DUP might strive to represent the values of Roh Moo‑hyun, but what are those values? Roh made a name for himself as a human rights lawyer and a critic of certain right‑wing policies. But his tenure was no great victory for working Koreans, and Lee Myung‑bak has done much to roll back whatever was done.
The Unified Progressive Party has also put forward a candidate. Lee Jung‑hee has had little exposure in the media and will be overshadowed by Park and Moon. And even the UPP is a moderate social‑democratic party at best. Working people in south Korea demand a government that serves their interests and doesn't force concessions or sell out. Too bad the system is rigged to perpetually deny them such an option.
(The above article is from the December 1-31, 2012, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)