I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Hopefuls build up presidential credentials
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Kim sharpens foreign policy, Moon seeks to be biz-friendly
By Kang Hyun-kyung, Do Je-hae
It may sound too early to predict who will be next president because there are still two-and-a-half years left until the presidential election.
However, for those who are serious about bids their perception of the same period of time is very different.
Two of the top presidential hopefuls, Reps. Kim Moo-sung and Moon Jae-in, are now gearing up for the election and seeking to build up credentials in the areas they believe they are relatively weak in.
Kim, the chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, seeks to boost his foreign policy standing, whereas his main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) counterpart Moon has vowed to hold an economic policy forum on a regular basis to sharpen his economic vision that can attract center-right voters.
A party insider said in an interview Sunday that Kim plans to visit the United States in late July. “We are still working on the itinerary of his trip. But its focus will be on strengthening partnerships with the U.S. Congress and political parties,” he said asking for anonymity as he was not authorized to speak on the issue.
The source said that the Saenuri Party leader will visit Washington D.C., New York and cities on the west coast. Kim will meet U.S. lawmakers and senior officials in the U.S. government.
His team reportedly is seeking to set up a meeting with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during the trip, but it remains to be seen whether this will happen.
The United States will be his second foreign policy trip destination, following China last year, and it has drawn keen attention because he has topped public opinion surveys of presidential hopefuls for over three weeks following the Saenuri Party’s sweeping wins in the April 29 by-elections.
The latest RealMeter poll released May 25 found that support for Kim stood at 22.2 percent, followed by Moon with 19.5 percent. The results showed that the gap between Kim and Moon has widened.
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and former Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo were in third and fourth places, respectively, in the poll.
Hopefuls pay visits to the United States and a couple of other countries that have notable influence on Korea to build up their foreign policy credentials.
Their staff release images and photos featuring the candidates and foreign leaders or key officials at meetings in the hopes that the Korean public feels the hopefuls have strong connections with influential figures and this will help their handling of foreign policy challenges if they are elected.
Regarding his political ambition, Kim tried to keep a low profile. During a speech at a policy forum in Seoul, May 22, Kim said he thought that he was not qualified for the top job.
“I think that being a leader of a country is not something that we can achieve with our own efforts. Rather I believe leaders are born, not made,” he said. “I am now 65 years old and have no plan to compete with others to take an elective position after 70.”
His remarks indicated to some people that the 2017 election will be the last journey in his political career.
The main opposition leader Moon, meanwhile, is set to re-start a stalled campaign to make the NPAD a business-friendly party.
The party will host a forum this month with the nation's top conglomerates, including Samsung, Hyundai, LG and SK, and exchange views on ways to boost the economy.
Moon will also establish a special panel designed for the revitalization of the economy within the party.
"Our efforts for building an economic party have not had much progress," said Woo Seok-hoon, head of the Institute for Democracy and Policies (IDP). "We will meet with not only representatives from conglomerates, but also those from small businesses and come up with policies that can help them."
The NPAD's attempt to network with conglomerates is seen as a departure from its former anti-conglomerate stance.
The IDP, a think tank of the main opposition, will recruit experts to support its economic drive.
Prior to the April 29 by-election, Moon tried various new initiatives to undo the widespread criticism that his party was incompetent when it comes to dealing with the economy and aiding the people's livelihood.
The NPAD hosted a week-long economic expo to introduce its policies at the National Assembly ahead of the by-elections, but this went unnoticed by the media and the public.
In the aftermath of the humiliating by-election defeats, Moon chose to build an "innovation panel" as a last resort to mend a factional rift and regroup the party for the general election in 2016.
During a meeting with governors and mayors Sunday, he stressed that the ultimate goal for the innovation panel is victory in the 2016 general elections and the presidential election in 2017.
"With the panel, we have embarked on breaking away from the old factional conflicts," Moon said. "Our aim is to win in future elections and take power."
He highlighted better economic policies as a crucial element of the party's innovation.
"The innovation drive should ultimately re-build our party as one that is capable of producing alternative policies for the people's livelihood and boost the economy."