Software tycoon reboots Korean
politics By Steven Borowiec
It isn't often that an anti-virus software
engineer has the charisma to command an entire
country's attention and paralyze its politics, but
that's pretty much what Ahn Cheol-soo is managing
to do these days in South Korea.
As
maneuvering begins for the December 19
presidential election, the big question is whether
Ahn will run for the country's top post. So far,
the opposition lacks a compelling candidate, and
many on the liberal side think Ahn is their only
hope to knock the ruling New Frontier Party out of
office. Ahn still hasn't committed himself.
Ahn is a software tycoon and university
professor who became a household name last October
when he flipped Seoul's mayoral election on its
head by endorsing independent candidate, and
eventual victor, Park
Won-soon. Many hope it was a precursor to
something similar on the national level. Ahn is
extremely popular among young voters and others
who crave a different look in South Korean
politics.
With five months left until the
presidential vote, Ahn hasn't definitively stated
his plans. The will-he-or-won't-he tale is a
near-daily topic of discussion in Korean media.
If he runs, he could win and bring hope
for a new kind of politics. He could also lose,
which would send the demoralizing message that no
matter how talented a candidate is, there is no
way for an outsider to successfully penetrate
South Korea's cronyist establishment.
Ahn
has seen a spike in public support recently. Last
week, he released a book called Ahn Cheol-soo's
Thoughts, which shattered sales records and
was read by many as tantamount to a declaration of
candidacy. On July 23, he appeared on a popular
television talk show that received record ratings
on the night of his appearance.
South
Korea's politics remain polarized between
conservative and liberal camps. In his book and
public appearances, Ahn has opted to remain
ideologically unaligned, placing himself under
neither label, instead referring to his approach
as one of simple common sense.
If he's
looking to build public support, it appears to be
working. Results of a RealMeter poll released on
July 25 show 48.3% of voters responding that they
would vote for Ahn over Park, who received
favorable responses from 45.2% of participants.
Just before his book release and TV appearance,
Ahn had 47.7% to Park's 44.8%.
With Ahn
having no experience in politics, veteran
politicians have been as welcoming to him as one
would expect. On Sunday, NFP lawmaker Kim Jae-won
called Ahn an "opportunist with the face of the
Little Prince".
Even some supporters admit
Ahn hasn't paid his political dues. If he does run
for the presidency, he would be looking to jump
directly into the country's top job.
South
Korea's North Korea policy is widely expected to
change with December's transfer of power, whether
or not Ahn runs and wins. The past five years of
the Lee Myung-bak administration have seen some of
the worst inter-Korean relations ever, with the
shelling of Yeonpyeong Island and sinking of a
South Korean corvette in 2010 particular low
points.
The Wall Street Journal's Korea
Real Time blog has translated select portions of
"Ahn Cheol-soo's Thoughts" that discuss North
Korea. The book is drawn from extended interviews
with journalism professor Jeong Je-im.
On
North Korea, Ahn says, "North Korea is a problem
for us to solve, but at the same time it could
also be a present for our future. When peaceful
economic cooperation with the North is activated,
our domestic market will expand. North Korea could
possibly be a source of growth momentum since the
[South] Korean economy is currently stagnant. We
can take advantage of North Korea's underground
resources, tourist attractions and human
resources, and a new way could open up for
building a North-East Asia economic zone or for a
land route from Busan to Paris.
"For the
future North and South relationship, North Korean
policy, national security policy and diplomatic
policy should not be separated. They should be
integrated under a consistent strategy."
These excerpts show a more flexible
approach to the North, one considerate of the
opportunities for cooperation on the peninsula.
Ahn would likely be matched up against
Park Geun-hye, the country's premier old guard,
establishment politician. Park draws most of her
support from the parents and grandparents of those
hoping Ahn will run, and planning to vote for him
if he does.
Park is a veteran politician,
current leader of the ruling New Frontier Party
and daughter of former military dictator Park
Chung-hee.
Ever the shrewd politician,
Park is aware of her perceived limitations and
isn't hesitating to aim straight for them. To
adjust her image as someone who has overstayed her
welcome on the national stage, Park has adopted
aspirational slogans that one might normally not
associate with an icon of conservatism. She is
campaigning under the mantras, "Park Geun-hye is
changing things" and "A country where my dream can
come true."
She is also aware of young and
liberal voters' disillusionment with the
corruption that is common in the halls of South
Korean power. Politicians have close ties to
business and illicit money moves freely between
the two worlds. The current president's older
brother was indicted last week on charges of
accepting bribes from unscrupulous savings banks.
"I will become a president who will break
the cycle of corruption," Park told an audience in
Busan on July 28.
It may be that Ahn is
waiting until as late as possible to declare his
candidacy, thereby shortening the campaign period
and giving critics less time to poke holes in his
resume.
It has been suggested that Ahn is
waiting to declare his candidacy to shorten the
campaign and give his opponents less time to poke
holes in his plans and resume. The NFP's Kim
Jae-won said on that strategy, "That's a trick: To
make a contest with an exhausted candidate near
the finish line."
For the time being,
Ahn's plans are still anybody's guess. He may well
choose to remain in his role as millionaire
businessman and university professor over jumping
into the morass of national politics. Whatever he
decides, the time between now and the election
should be colorful even for South Korean politics.
Steven Borowiec is a South
Korea-based writer.
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