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Reform party win confirms democratic roots
By Suvendrini Kakuchi

TOKYO - The stunning victory by the liberal Uri Party (Open Our Party) in South Korea's parliamentary elections proves that the country's democratic system has grown deep roots and shaken off its conservative past, analysts say.

"There is no return [to authoritarianism] for South Korea. South Koreans, after years of anguished waiting under previous hardline governments, have now secured their first liberal-dominated parliament in four decades," says Kim Chung-shik, a South Korean journalist based in Japan.

The Uri Party (OOP), which won 152 seats in the 299-seat parliament with almost all the votes in the April 15 poll counted, is composed of politicians mostly in their thirties and forties.

It advocates liberal reforms, supports trade unions and a more independent stance from allies like the United States, positions that are quite different from traditionally conservative parties in the country.

Analysts say the victory came after opposition parties made the mistake on March 12 of impeaching President Roh Moo-hyun, who is affiliated with the Uri Party, creating widespread public resentment against what many critics called a corruption of democracy.

"The resounding defeat of the Millennium Democratic Party, which initiated the impeachment, is indicative of public anger against conservative politics," C K Kang, an South Korean commentator in Tokyo, said in an interview.

At the same time, he conceded that the verdict of the voters has raised concerns about "how the new party, composed of mostly inexperienced politicians, can govern the country".

"South Korea faces a divided economy and bitter political issues, including negotiations with North Korea and the growing unpopularity of the American bases, especially with the younger generation that comprise the largest support group of the Uri Party," he says.

Discontent among young adults has been rising in the wake of the "disappearance" of 40,000 jobs, despite 1.3 percent economic growth in 2003. Unemployment among youth has now reached 9 percent.

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Roh also advocates a policy of engagement with North Korea, in contrast to Washington's tougher, uncompromising stance.

More important and immediate is the issue of reinstating President Roh. South Korean media say the success of the Uri Party has strengthened the position of Roh - suspended after the impeachment - in the Constitutional Court. The court had delayed a decision on whether it would uphold the impeachment until after the April 15 election.

"I want Roh to be installed as president as soon as possible," says Lee Suk-yong, a South Korean woman commenting on the election outcome.

The election results also affirm the rise in influence of the younger generation in South Korean politics. Surveys indicate the that turnout of voters in their twenties and thirties was higher by 12 percent compared to the last election four years ago, greatly boosting the strength of the Uri Party.

"It is the era of a new South Korea led by a generation that has not experienced World War II or the horrors of the Korean War," says commentator Kang.

Kim adds that "There is nothing wrong with inexperienced politicians in power. The positive side is clean politics and politicians who have been abroad and have an international outlook."

The strongest opposition party, the Grand National Party, won 123 seats, making it still a driving force in parliament and ushering in a new political environment with the birth of a two-party system in which there should be a system of checks and balances.

In its editorial on Friday, the Korea Herald said a pivotal issue in South Korea is Roh's ability to work out a compromise between the reform-minded Uri Party and the opposition.

It also points out that the Uri Party is a union of diverse political forces with varying political and policy positions, such as internal discord on the dispatch of additional troops to Iraq. Thus, it warns of the dire need for Roh to tread carefully as president.

Professor Kim Yong-ho of Inha University said that the new situation "could be a testing ground for Roh to prove his leadership effectively by collaborating with parliament without having open control over his party, as was the case of predecessors Kim Young-san and Kim Dae Jung."

Looking ahead, some also say that Roh, despite his overwhelming mandate, should be careful not to go overboard and make drastic changes in South Korea's traditional diplomacy, which has leaned heavily on compromise with the US and Japan.

"Roh is clever and knows the importance of maintaining traditional ties. There is no fear on that score," said Professor Kim. "The election results point to a bright future."

(Inter Press Service)

Apr 17, 2004

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