Politics,corruption and soft power

By Brett Conway

In ancient China, a governor was out travelling the provinces when he was offered a gift of a fish from a supporter. He refused the fish. On the way home, an aide asked why he had refused it since it was the governor's favorite food. The governor explained that his love of fish was his reason for refusing the gift.

``You see," he explained. ``I love fish. I want to eat fish. But if I accept the gift I could lose my job. If I lose my job, I have no money, and consequently I can no longer buy fish." He continued: ``If I refuse the fish, I can keep my job and continue earning money. If I continue earning money, I can buy fish until the end of my life."

This story succinctly portrays the risks a politician runs when exposed to corruption and how accepting the fish means to lose public trust.

This story is still relevant today. In 2005, Duke Cunningham, a 14-year-long congressman from California and a Vietnam veteran, was convicted of accepting more than $2 million in bribes. When he announced his misdeeds at a press conference, he cried, knowing his political career was over. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and had to pay nearly $2 million in fines. When he comes out of prison, he will no longer be able to hold public office.

In Alberta, Canada, Lloyd Carr, an executive in a provincial office, was convicted of embezzling over half a million dollars to finance a gambling habit. He was convicted and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. His public career is over.

Corrupt politicians and public officials don't exist only in Canada and the United States. They also exist in Korea. In 2004, An Hee-jung was convicted in a political fund scandal involving the presidential campaign of Roh Moo-hyun. For this, he spent a year in prison. He got out jail, but his reputation was tarnished.

Currently, Lee Kwang-jae, another Roh supporter, is under investigation for his role in ``Park Yeon-cha Gate," a lobbying scandal. This investigation is ongoing, so the outcome is still uncertain. But it seems his political career could be in limbo.

But as the results of the local elections show, neither An nor Lee have left the political stage. An Hee-jung was elected governor of South Chungcheong Province. Lee Kwang-jae was elected governor of Gangwon Province.

Corruption is a serious political problem for countries around the world. Politicians are charged and many are convicted. In countries like Canada and the U.S., corrupt politicians destroy their own careers. They can never run again for office. A party will neither sponsor them nor will people vote for them. But in Korea, it seems different. A politician's career is ruined ― only for a while ― and he or she is brought back as a candidate by the party. A party should have the right to run the candidates it wants, and people should have the right to vote for whomever they want. But if a politician has once broken the public trust, who's to say he will not do it again?

Some may say that the political situation is different in Korea. They say that dirty politics is the name of the game and that corruption allegations are often politically motivated. They may point to the case of Han Myeong-sook, former prime minister under Roh Moo-hyun, cleared of the charge of receiving a bribe on the very same day that another charge was brought against her ― all in the run up to the Seoul mayoral election. Maybe it is simply domestic politics.

But for South Korea, something much greater than domestic politics is at stake. That is its international reputation. Korea has rebounded from the negative image associated with the 1970s scandal ``Koreagate" and the ``IMF crisis" of the 1990s to become, according to the Hansung Foundation, the 13th ranked nation in terms of soft power ― power involving culture, foreign policies, and domestic politics.

It is clear that for Korea to achieve greater soft power, its politicians should appear clean and honest. When countries like Canada and the U.S. prosecute politicians for corruption and ensure they never get a chance to run for office again, they gain soft power. When Korea excuses politicians for breaking the law, Korea lags behind in the soft-power game.

Let's hope Korean politicians will view the results of last month's election as a chance for a fresh start and follow the example of that governor in China who refused that gift of fish. And even if some do take that gift, let's hope the political establishment and the voters refuse them the right to hold political power.

The writer is a full-time lecturer at Hansung University. He can be reached atbrettconway@hotmail.com.