Would you vote for President Park Won-soon?
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Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon gives a briefing on the city’s plan during a meeting with a group of editors at the Korea Press Center, Wednesday. / Yonhap
By Oh Young-jin
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon had a question-and-answer session with about 30 editorial writers and commentators, an event organized by Korea News Editors’ Association, the fraternity of senior reporters, at the Korea Press Center, Wednesday.
The two-hour session, followed by a one-hour luncheon, confirmed a couple of things about Park, who is thought to be one of the potential candidates for the 2017 presidential election.
First, the former human rights lawyer is smart, good with details, extremely persuasive and very patient, but by and large he lacks the kind of charisma that presidents are expected to have. This doesn’t mean he can be ruled out since he has two years left to show his cards.
Special characteristic differ from one president to another. For the late President Kim Dae-jung, it was his personal history. He fought one military dictatorship after another. He came close to beating the late President Park Chung-hee in the 1971 presidential election, which was roiled by vote rigging allegations, amid widespread protests over Park’s constitutional revision to allow for a third consecutive presidency.
Then, the Nobel laureate was almost killed by KCIA agents, and was put on a death row after Chun Doo-hwan took power following Park’s assassination in 1979. His sentence was commuted and he was set free. His history of struggle played a key role in getting him elected in 1997 despite a bad showing in the more populous Gyeongsang provinces for the candidate from the rival Jeolla region. The currency crisis that hit the nation around that time caused a panic among voters, prompting some naysayers to cross the line and cast ballots for Kim.
Even though Park Won-soon was kicked out of Seoul National University for protesting the authoritarian Park Chung-hee regime, he pales in comparison to the late Kim in terms of fighting for justice. Perhaps, the comparison is not fair, considering Kim is a generation ahead of Park.
The late President Roh Moo–hyun may provide a better comparison for Park. Roh, if he were alive today, would be 10 years senior to Park, while both worked as human rights lawyers. Roh overcame his humble roots, passing the bar exam after graduating from a commercial high school. Park went to the elitist Kyunggi High School. Roh turned to politics and then ran for constituencies where he had little chance of winning and lost. He persevered through much doubt and defeat but won a big following for his challenge against the established political system and vested economic interests, being affectionately called the “fool.” He also made his name known as a first-time lawmaker for grilling Chun Doo-hwan, the dictator, who had just left office months before, during the televised 1988 National Assembly hearing. He threw his nameplate toward Chun, a scene that perhaps gave a collective catharsis to the nation under Chun’s eight-year yoke. In cahoots with the anti-dictatorial “386 generation” politicians or those who were in their 30s, attended colleges in the ‘80s and were born in the ‘60s, Roh beat the favorite Lee Hoe-chang, the conservative candidate, by 2.2 percentage points in the 2002 election. The Seoul mayor doesn’t have that, either.
Mayor Park can be compared with his predecessor Lee Myung-bak, who became president, thanks widely to his urban beautification represented by the restoration of Cheonggye Stream flowing through the heart of the city and the introduction of a bus-subway transfer system. Lee, a former CEO of Hyundai Construction and Engineering, was nicknamed “the bulldozer” for his aggressiveness in getting the job done. He overcame allegations of shady deals and won the 2007 election by a landslide over a very weak opposition candidate. Park doesn’t have Lee’s Cheonggye Stream project yet nor his no-questions-asked aggressiveness.
Regarding the incumbent President Park Geun-hye, the mayor doesn’t have the excitement of the fact that she was the first serious woman presidential candidate, nor does he have her father’s aura that is appreciated by the older generation of voters who reminisce about the days when he was president, leading the nation’s rapid economic development.
During the debate, Park was optimistic, saying, “Everything will turn out to be okay,” about several knotty issues such as building a pedestrian walkway on an elevated expressway near Seoul Station and a dispute with the Gangnam District Office on the development of areas to be occupied by Hyundai Motor headquarters. Few editors in attendance appeared to have any questions about his mastery of details.
Facing what was regarded as an ambush question about the display of progressive artwork about a knife attack against U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert, he said that a letter of apology was being sent to the embassy.
He was extremely patient as he preempted reporters’ questions about whether he was interested in becoming the president. “I have been asked that question so many times that I am trained.” One editor called him “thick-skinned” and “Teflon,” borrowed from the late U.S. President Ronald Reagan. He was caught grimacing for a brief moment before putting his boy scout smile back on his face. This patience alone could make him a serious contender since it indicates that he is biding his time so he can make his announcement for maximum effect, and that is why he is careful enough to play his cards close to his chest so he won’t have to take flak for being an early contender.
“I think small is beautiful,” he said, when asked whether he was strong on details. “I do my best as mayor.” If the mayor becomes president, it would be for a reason that is totally different from those that helped previous presidents get elected.
Oh Young-jin is The Korea Times’ chief editorial writer. He can be reached at foolsdie5@ktimes.com and foolsdie@gmail.com.