Parties bring 'old boys' back, criticized for failing to make generational shift
Kim Chong-in, right, a veteran economist and politician, shakes hands with main opposition United Future Party leader Hwang Kyo-ahn who visited his residence in Seoul, Thursday, after agreeing to head the party's election strategy committee. Courtesy of United Future Party
By Jung Da-min
Ahead of the April 15 general election, political parties have promised a generational shift and announced plans to recruit younger candidates to ensure “young and new” politics. However, their recent nominations show that they are largely failing to keep their promises, much to the disappointment of the public.
The main opposition United Future Party (UFP) has named Kim Chong-in, former head of the rival Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) emergency strategy committee who led the DPK to victory in the 2016 general election.
Kim, 79, is a veteran economist and politician who supports the idea of economic democratization. He served five terms as a lawmaker and is well known for his political career as a “king maker” as he helped former President Park Geun-hye and incumbent President Moon Jae-in win presidential elections. Such a career is unique as it is rare in Korea for politicians to move back and forth between the liberal and conservative blocs.
On Thursday, UFP leader Hwang Kyo-ahn visited Kim's residence in Seoul to ask him to help the conservative camp and finally succeeded to recruit him after several failed attempts.
Other veteran politicians have also made headlines for taking priority in the list of proportional representation candidates.
Rep. Suh Chung-won of the Our Republican Party / Yonhap
Rep. Suh Chung-won, 76, has served eight terms, making him the longest-serving lawmaker in the current National Assembly. The politician gained the second spot in the proportional representation candidate list of the minor opposition Our Republican Party, a “far-right” party of those who enthusiastically support former President Park Geun-hye.
Considering that the first spot on a party's proportional representation candidate list should be given to a woman according to the Public Official Election Act, Suh virtually received the “first” spot on the list among party officials.
On Thursday, Sohn Hak-kyu, 73, former leader of the now defunct Bareunmirae Party, also gained the second spot on the proportional representation candidate list of the minor opposition Minsaeng Party. He had earlier declared that he would help the party reach victory as a rank-and-file member, indicating he would not run for the election.
Sohn Hak-kyu of the Minsaeng Party / Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han)
But the party withdrew the decision after a meeting on Friday and put him at 14th on the list, as criticism mounted against Sohn by those who saw him as being “greedy.”
Political watchers say parties seek the return of “old boys” when they lack stable leadership. However, public sentiment is not favorable to them, as their return means the political circle seeks to maintain the status quo rather than aim for reform and generational change.
“It's doubtful whether their leadership will still be effective in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and social media. If they fail to help their parties gain expected achievements, it will gravely hurt their political careers,” a political analyst said.