Ban Ki-moon may end up a storm in a teacup
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Former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon looks pensive during a welcoming reception held at the official residence of Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se in Hannam-dong, Seoul, Friday. / Yonhap
By Kim Hyo-jin
Ban Ki-moon had been touted as the savior for the scandal-ravaged country by many people until he returned home Jan. 12 after eight years as the U.N. secretary general.
That was mainly because he had a unique selling point as a presidential contender.
His biggest asset is lengthy experience as a successful career diplomat and the leader of the global body. People thought this would benefit the country if he becomes the next president.
However, what has been happening since his return is embarrassing.
He is struggling to impress voters amid criticism that he has few ideas about how to revive the country and has ambiguous stances on politically sensitive issues. Bribery allegations surrounding him and his relatives especially grabbed the people’s attention.
Since his return, the gap between Ban and frontrunner Moon Jae-in in opinion polls has widened.
With a series of slip-ups while on hectic tours around the country, the gap further widened with Moon from 3.9 percentage points in the second week of January, to 6.3 percentage points in the third week, according to local pollster Realmeter.
Commentators say Ban’s ambiguous political perspective, presumably stemming from the established diplomat’s experience, is working against him in the burgeoning presidential race.
“Strategic ambiguity only works in diplomacy, not in domestic politics,” said Choi Chang-ryul, a professor of political science at Yongin University.
“He needs to communicate his policy plans soon, or his potential to shake up the existing political arena could fizzle out.”
Ban has touted the need for “political reform” in a bid to present a contending slogan against Moon’s “change of government” but he did not go into detail.
His ambiguous political orientation makes it harder for voters to understand his philosophy, political analyst Hwang Tae-soon said.
Ban has wavered between the liberal and conservative bastions in what is seen as a move to appeal to voters across the political spectrum. He visited the May 18 National Cemetery in Gwangju and the fire-ravaged market in Daegu on the same day.
“The move, despite being devised in line with his much-touted “grand integration” of the country, made him look like someone who is ill-prepared for politics or lacking his own perspective,” Hwang said.
Comfort women deal
Ban has been particularly grilled for changing his position on a deal Seoul struck with Japan in December 2015 to settle issues related to Korean women forced into sexual service for Japanese soldiers during World War II.
He expressed his support for the deal during a phone call with President Park Geun-hye on New Year’s Day 2016, praising it as Park’s “courageous decision” and a “move history will highly value.”
But during an interview on the way home in early January, he criticized the deal, saying, “If the 1 billion yen provided based on the deal has to do with removing a comfort woman statue, it is wrong.”
Now he views the deal as helping Korea and Japan resolve their differences.
“The deal has paved the way for a resolution of the decades-long conflict if not to the extent that the comfort women’s deep sorrow was resolved,” he told reporters, Wednesday. “But don’t get me wrong that I see the issue has been completely resolved.”
The comfort women deal, under which Tokyo provided 1 billion yen ($8.29 million) for the establishment of a foundation supporting the victims, has been under criticism from the liberal bloc as Seoul agreed to end the dispute once and for all without consulting the handful of surviving victims.
In the face of reporters’ repeated questions over his opinion on the deal, Ban bristled at them, putting himself in the middle of the controversy.
A conversation between Ban and Lee Do-woon, his spokesperson, was overheard in which he said, “They harass me with this single issue, making me look as if I made some historic mistake. They are bad guys.”
Over the alleged gaffe, Chung Doo-un, a former Saenuri Party lawmaker, called Ban too “immature” while he is angling for the country’s top elected office.
THAAD
While taking flak for vagueness in policy ideas, Ban has comparatively been vocal about security concerns.
He threw full support for the planned deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery here, saying, “The Korean Peninsula is in a quasi-war state so it was appropriate for the government to opt for the THAAD deployment.”
The former U.N. chief called for better attention to North Korea’s military threats, noting its latest move to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile.
“Its aim is pure defense, not an attack, from the North’s ballistic missiles and nuclear development,” he said during a lecture at Chosun University, Wednesday.
“Once we slip in security matters, it’s irreversible. As a security expert myself, I believe if we fail to manage it within the Korean Peninsula, it could lead to a regional and even an international conflict.”
The controversy over THAAD has been ongoing for some time as liberal parties and heavyweights raised questions about its efficacy in fending off the North’s missiles, and concerns about China’s retaliatory actions to protest its deployment on the Korean Peninsula.
China has strong objections to the plan based on the belief that the system’s X-band radar could be used to spy on the country’s military activities and capabilities. It has taken various retaliatory actions including banning K-pop and K-drama stars and reducing bilateral exchange and cooperation.
Ban showed confidence in soothing rising tensions with China, saying “It can be sorted out through diplomacy.”
Job policy
While Moon has pledged sweeping chaebol reforms with a special focus on Korea’s top 10 conglomerates, Ban showed determination to resolve the high youth unemployment rate as a way to boost the slumping economy.
Urging young people to pursue business startups for their part, he said he will come up with support policies and set up a government bureau specializing in youth employment.
As a way to increase job opportunities, Ban presented ideas such as increasing intern positions and academic-industrial collaboration projects in consultation with firms, and backing overseas activities.
The political newcomer, however, fell short of providing details for the vision. He was again embroiled in controversy by saying, “Young people should buckle down” in the context of encouraging them to create employment chances on their own.
Netizens bombarded Ban with criticism for making an out-of-touch remark and suggesting an increase in internships, accusing him of having little understanding of structural issues in the economy.
Meanwhile, Moon revealed his job policy with a pledge to create 1.31 million jobs. He said the goal will be achieved by increasing the number of employees in the public sector and reducing employees’ work hours.