Sim should strenuously pursue values for minorities
It is fortunate that Justice Party presidential candidate Sim Sang-jung has restarted her campaign following a lull. As the icon of the nation's progressive forces, Sim has been the face of her party over the past two decades. Sim returned five days after disappearing from the public's view on Jan. 12 as her approval rating declined below 3 percent.
In an interview with The Korea Times Friday, Sim vowed to continue to represent the minor, peripheral social groups to bring their voices to the center of the political debate ― even though doing so could cost her popularity and votes. "For me, the presidential election is not a competition among individual candidates. Rather, for me, it a race against the two gigantic parties," she said.
"In silence, I deeply pondered what went wrong and about the reason why I and the party have failed to earn the people's hearts. I will deeply reflect and squarely stand up again. I will more stubbornly push for the values of the progressive party," Sim said during a press conference Jan. 17 fresh from the five-day leave.
It is inappropriate for a presidential candidate to stop the campaign without prior consultation with the party and she should take responsibility for such an act at any rate. Sim is supposed to show her changed side to party members and supporters through tangible results and performance to prove that the time she spent on self-reflection was not in vain.
Sim admitted that the values and principles of progressive politics have been shaken greatly and acknowledged her mistakes in making grave decisions in the past. She also pledged to seek judgment on herself and the party through the upcoming presidential election. This can be taken as an expression of her desperation that the election may determine the fate of the party that has represented the nation's progressive camp over the last 20 years.
Sim is not merely a "third party candidate" who sits between the two major parties. As the very presidential contender of the progressive party, she should speak on behalf of the social minorities. We urge Sim to raise the flag again against the widening disparity between the haves and the have nots, discrimination against minorities in diverse sectors of society and protect the grassroots from increasing privileges for upper-class people.
Sim should not be discouraged by the currently low support rate. Rather, she should strenuously pursue the values of the progressive camp focusing on the environment, human rights, women, the handicapped and workers. The progressive party's responsibility lies in creating a society where everyone can live with dignity.
Against this backdrop, it is regretful that the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) maintains a negative reaction to the four-way debate among major presidential candidates including Sim, sticking to a two-way discussion between the PPP's Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. The PPP should accept the quadrilateral debate as recommended by the court to respect the rule of democracy and fairness.
It is fortunate that Justice Party presidential candidate Sim Sang-jung has restarted her campaign following a lull. As the icon of the nation's progressive forces, Sim has been the face of her party over the past two decades. Sim returned five days after disappearing from the public's view on Jan. 12 as her approval rating declined below 3 percent.
In an interview with The Korea Times Friday, Sim vowed to continue to represent the minor, peripheral social groups to bring their voices to the center of the political debate ― even though doing so could cost her popularity and votes. "For me, the presidential election is not a competition among individual candidates. Rather, for me, it a race against the two gigantic parties," she said.
"In silence, I deeply pondered what went wrong and about the reason why I and the party have failed to earn the people's hearts. I will deeply reflect and squarely stand up again. I will more stubbornly push for the values of the progressive party," Sim said during a press conference Jan. 17 fresh from the five-day leave.
It is inappropriate for a presidential candidate to stop the campaign without prior consultation with the party and she should take responsibility for such an act at any rate. Sim is supposed to show her changed side to party members and supporters through tangible results and performance to prove that the time she spent on self-reflection was not in vain.
Sim admitted that the values and principles of progressive politics have been shaken greatly and acknowledged her mistakes in making grave decisions in the past. She also pledged to seek judgment on herself and the party through the upcoming presidential election. This can be taken as an expression of her desperation that the election may determine the fate of the party that has represented the nation's progressive camp over the last 20 years.
Sim is not merely a "third party candidate" who sits between the two major parties. As the very presidential contender of the progressive party, she should speak on behalf of the social minorities. We urge Sim to raise the flag again against the widening disparity between the haves and the have nots, discrimination against minorities in diverse sectors of society and protect the grassroots from increasing privileges for upper-class people.
Sim should not be discouraged by the currently low support rate. Rather, she should strenuously pursue the values of the progressive camp focusing on the environment, human rights, women, the handicapped and workers. The progressive party's responsibility lies in creating a society where everyone can live with dignity.
Against this backdrop, it is regretful that the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) maintains a negative reaction to the four-way debate among major presidential candidates including Sim, sticking to a two-way discussion between the PPP's Yoon Suk-yeol and Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. The PPP should accept the quadrilateral debate as recommended by the court to respect the rule of democracy and fairness.
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