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Korea will continue its march forward, may we pray, having done what many other advanced nations have yet to do, including my country, by electing a woman as the country's chief executive. The outcome of the election was not as close as predicted in some quarters. Your celebratory remarks have gathered the nation together at a very important time in its history. It will be important for you to assess and act on the basis of your electoral victory as well as its limitations.
Truly, Park Geun-hye, your successful candidacy represents a bridge between Korea's past and future. Standing alone in the ability to claim this focal position, you have transcended the tragedy of your parents' assassinations to reach the summit of South Korean leadership. Your father may be criticized, even reviled, for his lack of democratic credentials and autocratic style, but his accomplishments continue to impress the electorate, many of whom voted for you in his memory. President-elect Park, may you recapture the dynamism that typified Park Chung-hee's leadership. There is and remains much to admire in his openness to science and technology, his management of the Korean economy, and his dedication to preserving Korean heritage and culture.
You will need to present your own combination of tenacity and patience in entering the maelstrom of inter-Korean relations. Now addressing a more conservative Japan and a more assertive China, your mettle will be tested in what is perhaps the world's thorniest thicket of regional relations, upon which so much of the Korean people's future turns ― and that of the wider world as well. You will need to find ways to adopt more leadership for Korean defense within the mantle of the ROK-U.S. alliance.
You have promised sure action to mend Korea's economic woes. Apply best global practices, attend to the excesses of chaebol economic corruption, and guide South Korea away from its overdependence on a centralized, export-led economy. There are vast stretches of South Korea more than less underutilized as engines of Korean growth. Addressing regional imbalances and carrying forward long-term strengths in green development and ICT should be touchstones for your leadership.
President-elect Park, you also represent a bridge between South Korea's neo-Confucian, Joseon past and an even and ever more progressive future. Despite so many pre-election stories that insulted your gender, femininity, and your character as a leader, your style, public presence, and aura as a candidate, you will be the first woman Korean president. Capitalize on the historical significance of this accomplishment and go where no previous president has dared to go ― to the heart of Korea's need to empower further its women of all ages. So much good will be accomplished if you forge policies that target the needs and aspirations of Korean ''agassi,'' ''ajumma,'' and ''halmeoni.'' If you wish to vitalize small- and medium-sized businesses, you must first address the needs of those who want to work but cannot easily do so, many of them women.
The analysis of your election victory shows also that you must do more to meet the needs of younger voters, Koreans who live in the Jeolla region, and those who insist on a Korean future that ameliorates the suffering of the poor, immigrant laborers, and the unemployed. The temptation will be to stay to the safe course, based upon having won over half the popular vote. To capture even more energy and momentum, leaven your mandate further with concrete actions for the "other half" in the Election of 2012. Your government could then really herald and unrivalled era of prosperity and proven success.
How will you guide South Korea's ongoing trajectory as an advanced nation? By remembering that you are just the 11th president of South Korea. Your mature national culture overlays a comparatively young nation. In some ways, despite ''hallyu,'' it remains a gathering storm in world civilization. No longer simply or mainly the "Land of Morning Calm," it is now your land to lead. Let the world see your country as the shining example it has and should continue to become. Madame President, I wish you every success.
Bernard Rowan is director of assessment and program quality, professor of political science and coordinator of international studies at Chicago State University, where he has taught for 19 years. Rowan is a past fellow of the Korea Foundation and former visiting professor of the Graduate School of Local Autonomy, Hanyang University.
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