By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak's low approval rating was caused at least in part by his failure to communicate effectively with the public, said a group of U.S.-based Korea policy analysts.
Charles Armstrong, director at Columbia University's Center for Korean Research, said at a conference Monday in New York that recent candlelight protests could be interpreted as public backlash not so much against U.S. beef per se ― but rather against President Lee's take-charge, ``bulldozer" style of governance seen in the beef import negotiation.
Professor Armstrong was one of the leading Korea policy analysts who took part in a panel discussion organized by the Korea Society, a New York-based non-profit group that aims to promote greater cooperation between people of Korea and the United States. The event was titled `` Lee Myung-bak's First 100 Days in Office: The Roots of a Summer of Discontent?"
Professor Armstrong noted that President Lee won last year's presidential race by a wide margin and that he assumed the presidency riding a wave of voter support. But, Armstrong noted, President Lee's actual support level might have been much lower, considering the unusually low voter turnout at the election.
David Straub, a research fellow at Stanford University, argued that many Koreans may have voted for President Lee simply as a way to protest Roh Moo-hyun's administration. Straub said President Lee might have overestimated his mandate from the election victory.
Youngshik Daniel Bong, a professor at American University, said he sees a number of similarities between President Lee and U.S. President George W. Bush.
Professor Bong said the two leaders appear to share a unilateral, go-it-alone cowboy style of governance while overestimating their public support. He added that President Lee might have made things worse by failing to quickly grasp the significance of Korea's generational gap.
Analysts said Korea's unique protest culture and the widespread use of the Internet also played a critical role in the beef import backlash and political turmoil that have beset South Korea since President Lee took office just a few months ago.
Panelists argued that President Lee has now been given the task of communicating and explaining his policies to the public, especially to the younger Korean generation.
Analysts also expressed criticism regarding President Bush's expected visit to Korea this summer. The visit by the lame duck president wouldn't serve much practical purpose, they argued.
The analysts said it would be better to postpone a U.S. presidential visit to Korea until a new commander-in-chief moves into the White House next year.