Dignity of Blue House

By Lee Chang-sup

Korean presidents become a political football in the twilight of their five-year presidency. With one year left in their tenure, all heads of state, from Roh Tae-woo, Kim Young-sam, Kim Dae-jung to Roh Moo-hyun, were in hot water.

President Lee Myung-bak’s four predecessors had severed ties with the governing party. Their siblings, relatives or cronies, were behind bars on corruption charges. Dormant mega scandals sprouted up, forcing the president to issue a series of public apologies. Presidential secretaries were prematurely quitting posts to land jobs at government and public agencies or to run for elective posts. This made the incumbent head of state a premature lame duck.

The lame duck situation is not only exceptional to Korea. It is an inevitable phenomenon in democratic countries. It is the price of democracy citizens must pay. The trouble is the public confusion between the president and Cheong Wa Dae, or between lawmakers and the National Assembly.

Americans have a high respect for the White House and Congress although they may be scornful of the sitting president or a wayward legislator. They are highly respected institutions whoever controls them.

Korea has no such tradition. When the president gets criticism, Cheong Wa Dae is also under attack. The National Assembly is one of the most disrespected institutions as people have become disillusioned with the way lawmakers operate.

President Lee’s visit to the National Assembly, Tuesday, had a symbolic message to the public. It was a rare occasion for the president to show respect to the National Assembly as one of the three main pillars of government. Lee appealed to lawmakers for the ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement.

Just hours before Lee’s visit, opposition leader Sohn Hak-kyu, was recalcitrant in meeting the Chief Executive. He changed his mind at the last minute and met President Lee together with other National Assembly leaders. Sohn demonstrated a modicum of decency in respecting the official function of the incumbent head of state whose policies he does not like.

President Lee could have run the country better through closer cooperation with the National Assembly. Lee showed a built-in distaste against the National Assembly from which he distanced himself. His rare visit itself grabbed the media headlines.

Why does the President disrespect the National Assembly and vice versa in Korea? Kim Choong-nam, who served three presidents, has the right answer.

In his view, Korea has under-institutionalized democratic procedures despite having an elected democracy. Korea’s political parties and legislative institutions have extreme weaknesses. Presidential power is highly personalized and privatized. Korean presidents ran the country under the rule of man rather than the rule of law. Leaders still lack in tolerance, compromise, transparency and accountability.

Even life-long freedom fighters such as Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung could not overcome highly personal leadership. They were often derided for being civilian dictators or imperial presidents. The presidents had long regarded the National Assembly as peripheral.

Kim says that it is quite risky for a political leader to rely on his personal qualities without the backing of institutions.

Like his predecessors, President Lee failed to recognize that good governance depends on the degree of institutionalization of his presidency. Lee had falsely believed that he alone could run an entire country. The process, rules and mechanisms of his policy making and personnel appointments was often out of tune with the sentiment of the grassroots.

His presidency was marked by a year or so of learning the ropes, two or three years of initiatives before he became a lame duck. Lee was unable to use his party’s majority status in running the country as his governing Grand National Party has two factions under one roof.

The Lee-Sohn gathering at the National Assembly gave hope that Korea is crawling toward a mature democracy. Even the hostile opposition respected Lee’s visit as Lee demonstrated his respect to the legislative body.

Cheong Wa Dae should get respect whoever is the president. This is a matter of dignity and pride for Korea and Koreans. If the Blue House is to command respect, it should have talented, incorrupt, de-politicized technocrats who can serve at least two bosses.

The National Assembly will continue to be the target of public mockery unless lawmakers change their confrontational mode. The dignity of the legislative body will be dependent on the disappearances of chisels, saws, sledgehammers and physical roughshod.

Voters might be ready to pick a president and lawmakers who can protect and promote the dignity of Cheong Wa Dae and the National Assembly next year.

Lee Chang-sup is the chief editorial writer of The Korea Times. His email address is editorial@koreatimes.co.kr.