A sad portrait of Korean politics

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A sad portrait of Korean politics

Published: 16 Oct. 2024, 19:55

Chung Un-chan
The author, a former president of Seoul National University, is the chairman of the Korea Institute for Shared Growth.

The awarding of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature to novelist Han Kang epitomizes the remarkable achievement of Korean literature. The Swedish Academy praised the author of The Vegetarian for presenting “an intense poetic prose that confronts historical trauma and reveals the fragility of human life.” Han appreciated the awarding, but declined to hold a press conference. “This is not the time for celebration given the ongoing tragedies in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere,” she was quoted as saying by her father, also a novelist. The author looked refreshing. Despite the jubilant mood in Korea, all the delight is being swiftly eclipsed by an army of substandard politicians in the country.

Let’s go back to the National Assembly’s ongoing regular audit of the government. Most lawmakers inexorably press all witnesses until they succumb to their pressure. Legislators are bent on making one-sided arguments against the government. As they are not fully prepared for the audit, they fear any convincing answers from witnesses. Instead of building consensus, they just insist on the legitimacy of their own thoughts. After watching Korea from overseas for a long time, Raf Ryu, CEO of the KAN Education Group, desperately demanded “decent politics” from Korean lawmakers in his recent contribution to a media outlet. He called on them to do “politics with integrity” just like a swan who gracefully moves on the surface while working hard underneath. Discord sometimes drives development, but unilateral insistence has long replaced persuasion in Korean politics. No sense of harmony is visible among the representatives.

Political leaders are no exception. Despite his never-ending suspicions and ongoing trials, Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the majority Democratic Party (DP), has never apologized for the repeated suicides of his aides when he was Seongnam mayor and Gyeonggi governor. “All the accusations against me were fabricated,” he claimed. But that’s an insult to the integrity of our judicial system. Apparently, Lee’s goal is to win the presidential election in 2027. To achieve that goal, he must not be convicted of any crimes. That’s why the DP leader has methodically delayed the required judicial procedure over and over. I urge judges to deliver their rulings as quickly as possible within the boundaries of the law. Ordinary citizens want to see the results of Lee’s trials fast. Lee must humbly accept the rulings of the bench once they are delivered.

The way the new members of the 22nd National Assembly behave also dumbfounds the public. After wearing the badge of honor after winning the April 10 parliamentary elections, the new lawmakers of the majority party pledged to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol to demonstrate their respect for their party leadership’s decision. Could their first pledge after being elected lawmakers be impeaching the incumbent president by abusing their rights as representatives of the people? I lamented at the shameful level of those freshmen who could have learned the bad politics as in the past.

Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the governing People Power Party (PPP), is no different. He cannot afford to do his own politics or expose internal division to the press when the PPP itself is in crisis. The party leader must closely communicate with the presidential office to help address the ever-tougher livelihood of the people and suggest his visions and hopes for a better future of the country, while persuading the DP and fighting with it when the need arises. But the PPP leader appears to be an expert in fueling infighting. Some politicians believed in the magical power of challenging political heavyweights in the past, but they mostly failed to embody their dream.

I want to give advice to the president, too. The responsibility for big political controversies over the past two and half years mostly falls on him. The former prosecutor general-turned president relied on a precious few of his own clan to run the government. He was also reluctant to listen to advice from his opponents. He must change that. To do so, the president — and the first lady — must apologize for all the mysterious developments around him during the past 29 months in office. Losing can sometimes lead to winning.

New York Yankees’ legendary hitter Yogi Berra famously said, “It ain’t over until it’s over.” The president has not passed the half-way point of his five-year term yet. I hope he gets off his high horse, drastically changes his governance style from exclusiveness to open-mindedness and embraces everyone so that he can successfully depart from the past. The president even needs to consider the idea of establishing a coalition government with the opposition. A head of state should be modest in the first place. The first lady also must not get involved in state affairs. That will surely help her husband draw sympathy from the people and restore the politics of persuasion during his remaining term.

Korea’s soft power has conspicuously grown to the extent of producing a Nobel laureate in literature. I sincerely appreciate Han Kang for gracefully lifting the level of our literature by sharing her own perspectives on Korea’s historical experiences and cultural identity. The time has come for our politics to level up the country’s value.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.