By Park Chung-a
Staff Reporter
With only five months to go to the presidential elections, an increasing number of politicians are seeking help from entertainers to attract public attention to their political campaigns.
Signifying the entertainer’s large influence on the public’s, Koreans have newly coined the term, ``politainer,’’ a combination of politician and entertainer.
Politicians say they can attract people’s attention if popular entertainers accompany them to various events and campaigns.
A person who worked for President Roh Moo-hyun in 2002 when Roh was a presidential candidate said that the actor Moon Seong-geun’s influence on the public was much stronger than expected.
``His popularity could not be compared to that of an average politician. He was definitely one of the most significant contributors to Roh’s election at that time,’’ he said requesting anonymity.
Jong Jun-ho, a 37-year-old movie star whose home town is Yesan, South Chungcheong Province, said that he has often been asked to seek a National Assembly seat.
Forty members of an entertainers’ group supporting Park Geun-hye, the former Grand National Party chairwoman and a presidential frontrunner, plan to officially declare their support for Park on Wednesday in a hotel in Yeouido. The group, led by popular trot singer Seol Un-do, has more than 100 members, including singers Kim Tae-gon, Kim Do-hyang, Bae Il-ho, Hyun Jin-young and Chun Ja, and comedians Lee Yong-ja, Shim Hyun-seob, Lee Yong-sik, Kim Jeong-ryul and Hwang Ki-soon.
Entertainers that help Lee Myung-bak, a former Seoul mayor and another presidential frontrunner, include actors Lee Deok-hwa, Lee Jong-won, Bae Do-hwan, Lee Eui-jong; cartoonist Park Kwang-soo; and sports stars Kim Ki-hoon, Yoo Nam-gyu and Moon Seong-kil. Yoo In-chon, a television actor and former chairman of Seoul Foundation for Arts & Culture, is also known as one of Lee’s most ardent supporters.
In contrast, presidential contenders from the pro-government parties have no significant support group that consists of entertainers at the moment.
The spokesman for Sohn Hak-kyu, a former governor of Gyeonggi Province, said that he would soon announce a list of entertainers who support Sohn.
The spokesman for the former Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, another presidential contender said that although several entertainers help him, Chung does not want to publicly announce their names at the moment.
While admitting that entertainers’ participation in politicians’ presidential campaigns is effective in drawing the public’s attention, some experts are rather critical about it.
``If entertainers hope to truly win the hearts of people regarding their political activities, instead of just following politicians in their events, they should consistently speak up on various social matters that are related to the public good,’’ said Bae Kuk-nam, a culture critic. ``It is undesirable for some entertainers without any philosophy or insight on society just to lend their faces to influential politicians.’’