Headlines

SOUTH KOREA: April Vote a Tussle between Old and New Politics

Suvendrini Kakuchi

SEOUL, Apr 8 2004 (IPS) - South Korea’s hotly contested parliamentary elections this month poses a problem for Lee Jeong-ju, the owner of a large shop selling ladies’ handbags in central Seoul and who describes himself as a die-hard democrat.

South Korea’s hotly contested parliamentary elections this month poses a problem for Lee Jeong-ju, the owner of a large shop selling ladies’ handbags in central Seoul and who describes himself as a die-hard democrat.

”I’m almost certain I will vote for the reformist Uri Party, even though as a businessman I am worried whether this party has the experience to guide the economy,” says 36-year-old Lee, whose views in many ways echoes those of many other voters in the days leading to the Apr. 15 vote.

”President Roh is seen as standing for justice, transparency and accountability to the people. On the other hand, sticking with the old guard is expected to bring stability needed for economic growth,” says Ben Lim, a lawyer and advisor to successive governments.

The upcoming general election, perceived to be crucial for South Korea’s democracy, pitches impeached President Roh Moo-hun’s Uri Party against the Grand National Party and Millennium Democratic Party, which comprise conservative politicians.

In the last polls in December 2002, Roh garnered 49 percent of the vote while his conservative opponent got 47 percent. Candidates will contest 299 seats in parliament next week. Polls indicate that the opposition is struggling against the Uri Party mainly because of an impeachment they brought against Roh on Mar. 12, one that triggered angry protests among the public and divided the country.

At the time, Roh’s foes in parliament sought his impeachment on the grounds of ”illegal campaigning” when called for support for his parliamentary faction ahead of the April election. A Constitutional Court will decide whether to return Roh’s powers for the rest of his term until 2008. Calling for sweeping reforms, the Uri Party is campaigning on promises of more jobs, support for labour unions, unification with North Korea, and cleaner politics and businesses.

But some say that Roh’s biggest chance for victory may actually have emerged through the impeachment, which followed his casual remarks at a television show that indicated his support for his Uri Party.

”What’s wrong with saying you support your own party?” asks Lee. ”It is very arrogant of opposition politicians to impeach him.”

From a larger point of view, the election promises a regime change and takes up a generation issue. Roh, 57 years, and most candidates running in the Uri Party are in their forties and fifties. They are highly popular with the younger generation, and marks a contrast with Korea’s conservative culture that has long respected its elders and seen as the ones who can – and should – lead the country.

Professor Kim Il-young, political scientist at Sungkyung University, explains that Roh’s popularity signals the growing power of the younger generations – youth in the 20s and 30s – who represent an affluent and confident South Korea.

Reared at a time when South Korea’s newly industralised economy grew rapidly, these youth, say Kim, do not share the stoic endurance of the older generation that faced the horrors of the Korean War and worked hard to make their country rich.

Referred to as the ”red devils”, the younger South Koreans’ s voice has increasingly been heard in recent years through phenomenon such as the nationalism in the 2002 football World Cup, when the national team entered the finals in a dramatic achievement for an Asian team in a European-dominated game.

”The skills of the flamboyant young soccer team gave the new generation tremendous confidence,” Jim says, adding that from a sociological point of view that these are the people who ”believe that by taking to the streets they can demand change unlike the stoic older generation that views change suspiciously”.

Choi Yul, head of the Green Foundation, cannot agree more.

A former leader of the violent student protests that led the democratic movement in the seventies, Choi says the current atmosphere of heady ‘people power’ is too strong even for many politicians. But this, he adds, should not be cause for worry but be seen a sign of democratic maturity.

”I don’t know why conservatives should be frightened. The world should view the mass demonstrations against Roh’s impeachment as steps toward freedom of speech and anti-corruption, which is a good thing,” he insists.

The April election is also important because it takes places in a changed political environment. Vested interests such as regionalism and money politics heavily coloured the ‘older’ South Korea, which has been led by successive military governments that pushed economic growth ahead of issues of human rights.

Even South Korea’s celebrated democratic presidents, Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung, are seen as part of the older brand of politics, slower to implement reform.

Roh, however, is perceived as fresh and idealist, not scared to speak his mind. Among his strengths is the perception of him as a people’s leader without connections to old interests.

Media editorials, however, warn that the younger generation is going too far and is far too impatient for change. In its Apr. 5 editorial, the English-language ‘Korea Times’ newspaper points out that there are wide economic and social problems still dogging the country and that a stable and competent government remains crucial to its survival.