Korean Presidential elections will be held this December 19th and it is anticipated that for the first time since 1989, the winner will have support of less than 40 percent of the population. This means that Korea will see a weak president who will be elected with more than 60 percent of voters opposed to him.A very crowded race indeed.
Furthermore, allegations of corruption, bribery as well as internal division account for the public’s hesitation. Moreover, there has been an impressive roller coaster of belief – that is, all three candidates have been contradicting themselves a great deal of times over the course of the campaign.
Has it really come to that? Opting for the lesser of three evils?
As the number undecided voters recently rose from 25% to 37% only 2 weeks before the election, polls indicate that GNP (Grand National Party) candidate Lee Myung-Bak maintains a comfortable lead (37-40 percent), followed by independent Lee Hoi-chang with about 20 percent and UNDP Chung Dong-Young with about 14 percent.
Lee Myung-Bak is a brilliant businessman and Seoul’s former mayor. He is seen as a key figure for a change of government (actual President Roh Mun-Hyun is far from being a superstar…) Lee made economy one of his top priorities and his corporate experience makes his a convincing candidate.
However, Lee was at the center of a controversy when he was accused of profiting from real estate speculation from land that he allegedly owned in an expensive area in Seoul.
Moreover, people have become critical of him as many of his comments portray him as a sexist lacking compassion for the poor. When he was mayor he displaced loads of street vendors in order to restore Cheonggyecheon– a buried stream that is now a very popular spot in Gwanghwamun.
Lee recently came under fire for saying that mothers carrying mentally disabled babies should have them aborted. He also was criticized for stating that “when you go to a massage girl (prostitute), be sure to pick up an ugly one because too many men have used the pretty ones. And the ugly girl will be grateful to you and do her best to please you." (!!!)
Lee Hoi-chang breached his promise to retire from politics and that tickled the public. It’s the third time he’s running for presidency.
Nonetheless, he is an experienced politician (former prime minister, chief justice, chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection and chairman of the National Election Commission), known as a man of integrity and principles.
Lee bolted from the opposition party (GNP) at the final stage of the election and now presents himself and an independent candidate. He does not have a well-prepared campaign platform since his primary campaign strategy is to snatch conservative support from the candidate of the party he represented. He basically makes himself a hard-line conservative and has further alienated many moderate voters.
Finally, he’s 72 years old. Old news?
Chung Dong-Young is a television-anchor-turned politician who benefits from the support of current President Roh Mun-Yun’s followers. Chung promises to establish a transparent and corruption-free society, apparently targeting the frontrunner, who is allegedly involved in several wrongdoings.
But many people associate Chung with President Roh – who disappointed and failed a lot of supporters. Some people believe he and his party are largely responsible for the failures of the current administration. Moreover, Chung’s platform is very incoherent, or at least inconsequent and many worry about the possible burgeoning budget deficits arising out of welfare spending and massive North Korea investment plans.
Elected candidate will have to deal with hot key issues such as North Korea, but the most important one on the agenda is the economy. Koreans are getting worried about unemployment and rising prices. Moreover, reunification with North Korea would (will?) be very expensive.
Political observers have said that candidates have focused too much attention on negative campaigns in an effort to boost their popularity and this has resulted in the voters' lack of understanding of their policy visions and pledges.
So… who will you be voting for?
