[INTERVIEW] 'I will end the era of super-presidents:' Sim Sang-jung

Sim Sang-jung, the presidential candidate of the progressive Justice Party, speaks during an interview with The Korea Times in her office at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Jan. 24. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Justice Party presidential candidate vows to give voice to the voiceless

By Ko Dong-hwan

Presidential candidate Sim Sang-jung, a politician who focuses on representing the grassroots, has vowed to end Korea's era of "super-presidents" if elected, to make more people's voices heard in the legislature. Having stood for workers, women, sexual minorities and other vulnerable groups for over 20 years as a lawmaker, Sim criticized the country's political system that concentrates too much power in the president, while leaving regional councils that represent local constituencies weaker than they should be.

"Under this 'super-presidency,' citizens' voices can barely be heard among those of the politicians," explained the minor progressive Justice Party presidential candidate in an interview with The Korea Times, Monday. "Under Korea's two-party political system led by the two major parties, which has persisted since the country's democratic transition in 1987, the super-presidency has pushed presidents to wield political power in an extreme, all-or-nothing manner. The best any president could do was just protect himself or herself (while remaining deaf to the public)."

Referring to the parliament as the "No. 1 executive branch under democracy," Sim said that if she gets elected, she will take measures to weaken presidential power by abolishing all senior presidential secretary seats ― which she dubbed the symbolic "shadow cabinet" of Korea's super-presidency ― and empowering the National Assembly to better represent the population of over 50 million.

"Much of the president's powers must be passed down to the parliament. For example, budget planning and the Board of Audit and Inspection are both currently under the direct control of the President," said Sim, citing the United States as an example of this sort of distribution of power. "Furthermore, the reason the National Assembly has never earned the people's trust is that they believe lawmakers only represent a privileged few in power. To fix this, election laws must be revised so that people's votes for minor parties can lead to those parties getting seats in the National Assembly more fairly."

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The most precious moment the ambitious candidate experienced as a politician was when she received a gift from a group of people who were too young to vote.

While she came in last during the 2017 presidential election among the five candidates, with only 6.2 percent of the votes, a mock election among 50,000 middle and high school students nationwide held during the election campaign showed quite different results. In the poll, the teens were asked to look at candidates' pledges without identifying whose they were and then vote for their favorite contender. She came second only to then-candidate Moon Jae-in.

"I was invited by one of the schools that had voted for me the most in that poll," said Sim, searching through a huge array of awards and framed pictures in her office to look for a framed certificate presented to her by Saetbyeol Middle School in Geochang County, South Gyeongsang Province. "It warmed my heart to know that those of the future generation picked me as the most eligible politician. I promised them that next time I would return with another certificate ― one given to me by the national election commission."

Behind Sim, a bookcase is filled with plaques and framed pictures presented to her by various civic groups as tokens of appreciation, including ones given by teenage students who liked her pledges during the 2017 presidential election campaign. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Why minor groups?

Sim frequently gets offers to quit sweating it out in a minor party (that has only six seats in the 300-member parliament) and join a bigger group, such as the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) or the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). But she has been adamant about staying faithful to her party and its supporters. That's what defines the Justice Party and what will enable the party to last a long time, she believes.

"Of course if I went to a larger party, I would have more political options on the table," Sim said. "But I chose to be a politician who brings about change, unlike major party lawmakers who stubbornly just protect themselves. I wanted to represent the minor, peripheral social groups who make up the majority of the population, and to bring their voices to the center of the political debate ― even though doing so might cost me popularity and votes. For me, election campaigning isn't about the race between individual candidates. It's rather about me challenging the existing two-party system led by the two giant parties."

As to the presidential candidates being divided over gender issues and accusing the Justice Party of being a "feminist party," Sim doesn't understand why her party is gathering unnecessary attention for the sex crimes committed by former city mayors and a provincial governor under the ruling party's administration, as well as various #MeToo accusations against other politicians. She believes that the Justice Party should be the least responsible for such incidents, after all it has done.

"Since the formation of the Democratic Labor Party ― a predecessor of the Justice Party ― in 2000, for the first time in Korea's political history, we proclaimed that we will stand for both workers and women," said Sim. "But when feminism became a hot issue in the political arena and we spoke up to support women, some people unfairly criticized the Justice Party for being somehow bigoted. That was a misunderstanding, but it is a reality that minor parties with limited power often have no choice but to face."

Claiming to have the most political experience out of all presidential candidates currently running in this election, Sim admits she let down many supporters when her party did not object to the Moon administration's controversial pick of Cho kuk as justice minister in 2019. That decision alienated many supporters. This situation is the biggest regret she has as a politician until now.

Cho resigned as justice minister just a month following his appointment after getting embroiled in scandals including academic record forgery to help his daughter enter a prestigious medical school.

"After I returned from my five-day hiatus during the campaign (earlier this month) to clear my head amid the stagnant, low support ratings, some party endorsers and supporters cheered me on, expressing their willingness to come back to the party," the four-time elected lawmaker said. "People are tired of the DPK and the PPP. I am the only chance to put an end to their dominance and to start establishing a more pluralistic political system."