Park Geun-hye will take the oath of office as the 18th president of the Republic of Korea today. This is a historic inauguration, as Park is not just Korea’s first female leader but the first offspring of a former president.
In her inaugural address, President Park will vow to open an “era of happiness and hope” based on greater welfare and stronger security. If this seemingly perennial presidential slogan sounds a little trite, that may be because most of her predecessors made basically the same pledges but failed to turn them into reality. Will Park be able to deliver?
It will take five years to answer that question, but for many Koreans who felt the two months of transition period was longer than the year-long election campaigns, the outlook for now is not very bright.
One needs to look no further than the record-low approval rate of 44 percent for the incoming president, who starts business without even her own government. She has just completed naming all 18 Cabinet members, but confirming them will take weeks or longer in some cases, given the various scandals surrounding them. This is an ominous start for Park who wants to keep more urgent election pledges in the first six months. Many doubt whether she will be able to finish forming a Cabinet during that period.
Even more problematic than the specific candidates’ qualifications is Park’s style of personnel management. Most noticeable for its absence in the process is communication. Few know with whom, if anyone, Park consults on picking ministers and secretaries. Despite her promise to select talented individuals regardless of region or political affiliation, Park’s appointments have been limited to people from a few regions, schools and vocational backgrounds.
At the end of day, the lineup of her Cabinet nominees is a jumble of obedient bureaucrats and inexperienced academics, many of whom have not been vetted for their ability and ethical standards.
Backing away from key election pledges is another reason people have given up on expectations for Park even before she takes office. Most egregious is her casting aside the biggest election platform of “economic democratization.” The slogan, which calls for reforming family-owned conglomerates and taking better care of smaller firms and the self-employed, has given place to a “creative” ― growth-oriented ― economy.
Finding new growth engine is of course important for creating jobs but there is no reason why it can’t be compatible with a fairer, more equitable economic system. Park must know she is confirming the concerns of the 48-percent who didn’t vote for her and who suspect most of her campaign promises were just to get votes and be elected. No president can keep all their election promises but not apologizing for such failures and not even acknowledging them openly smacks of extremely arrogant, even autocratic leadership.
Most successful female presidents abroad cite women’s ability to communicate, remain considerate of others, entertain goodwill and strengthen solidarity as the reasons. These are not traits Koreans have seen in their new leader since her election, who appears to be disconnected, arrogant, self-righteous and all by herself.
Park can benchmark former President Park Chung-hee, especially his dedication to economic growth, but not his 20th century-style, one-man rule. Korea has changed and so have Koreans.
Koreans must be hoping Park’s five-year tenure will be like a film which is completely different from, and far better than, its preview. People will struggle to remain optimistic, as they have few other alternatives. Park must not betray them. We hope to see her become the nation’s first successful president five years later. That depends on how faithfully Park keeps the promises made three months ago. So far, she hasn’t.