Dilemma for Park Won-soon
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By Na Jeong-ju
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon has never publicly expressed any interest in standing as a candidate in the next presidential election. During media interviews, he has avoided directly answering any questions about his thoughts on the election or if he intends to be a contender.
Whether he likes it or not, he is now regarded as a potential liberal candidate who could end a decade of conservative rule. His public approval ratings as a mayor remain high, especially among the younger generations. His folksy, rural image and long years of experience as a human rights lawyer and an activist helped him successfully broaden his support base.
He may not be happy with people discussing his presidential ambitions, but he is already acting like a politician ― at least in terms of dealing with issues such as same-sex marriage.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government recently suspended a plan to draft a Human Rights Charter for Citizens in Seoul due to a swirling controversy over whether the charter should include a clause on protecting sexual minorities.
The city government initially planned to unveil the draft on the U.N. Human Rights Day on Dec. 10. However, it had to cancel the plan after a strong backlash from Christian groups.
The decision was hailed by opponents of gay rights, but angered human rights groups ― and, more broadly, many liberal voters ― because they had never expected him to back down on such an issue. Drafting the charter was one of Park’s campaign pledges.
In early October, the San Francisco Examiner reported that Park backed gay marriage in an interview conducted during his trip to the U.S. The newspaper even cited him as saying that he hopes South Korea will become the first Asian country to allow such unions.
After the article triggered a torrent of protests by religious groups here, he said that his opinions about gays were “misrepresented.” He then hosted a meeting with pastors on Dec. 1, during which he said he does not support homosexuality.
“I oppose discrimination against homosexuals, but I do not support them, either,” he said.
This remark prompted activists and gays to hold rallies in the lobby of Seoul City Hall, which continued for days until Park promised them that he would find ways of protecting sexual minorities and keep communicating with them.
This sequence of events indicates that Park, who used to speak out about human rights abuses and various forms of discrimination in society, has adopted a stance of strategic ambiguity to embrace those with opposing views.
During a recent interview with The Korea Times, he said that social discord being created by different views about gay issues was not what he intended. “It’s adding concerns to people to speak about gay rights at the moment. It triggers a lot of fights,” Park said. “We need to put priority on addressing issues related to people’s daily lives and their economic hardships.”
I recently heard from a city government official that Park has never changed his stance on homosexuals. The official said Park still believes that they need protection from society.
“But he won’t talk about gay marriage until the time is right. We don’t know when that will be,” the official said.
The issue of gay rights will remain challenging for Park. By choosing to stay away from the issue, he may have impressed some Christians, who account for more than 30 percent of the population. However, some liberal voters who were disappointed at the way he handled opponents of gay rights might have turned their back on him.
In this sense, the controversy over gay rights is testing his ability to become a leader and find the best possible solutions to conflicts of interest.
It is still hard to imagine presidential candidates debating gay rights in Korea, but if that happens, it will be the opening of a new chapter in Korean politics.