Parties should compete with ideas and policies
In 1995, Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee angered the political community by saying, "Korea's businesses are second rate by global standards, but its government is third rate, and its politics is fourth rate."
It is questionable whether the late tycoon, familiar with backroom dealings with politicians, had the right to criticize his counterparts.
However, Lee's now-famous remark still has quite a ring to it.
Current scenes in Yeouido, Korea's political and financial hub, show that domestic politics have changed little over the past three decades. Fresh ideas and effective policies are hard to find. In their places are only power games and boss politics.
On Monday, the National Assembly rejected the government's request for consent to arrest Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), on corruption charges. However, Lee managed to avoid arrest by a razor-thin margin, as at least 30 DPK lawmakers did not vote by the party line.
Even more pathetic was the party's response to the internal revolt. Lee's loyalists set about to hunt down the rebels to drop them from party nominations for next year's general elections. That's the last thing the DPK must do now. Lee was right to tell his followers this is the time to cement the party's unity and listen to different voices within the party. To do so, however, Lee himself must change first.
Lee has sufficient political assets. Last May, Lee lost the presidential election by less than 1 percentage point in the polling rate, the narrowest margin in history. Three months later, he took the DPK's helm with an approval rate of nearly 80 percent. Lee's is a typical rags-to-riches story, from a factory hand in childhood to a lawyer, mayor, and provincial governor. He was a creative administrator and a feisty politician.
However, Lee's critical weakness is his "legal risk." He has been investigated on at least three counts since last year, including charges of embezzlement and bribery regarding a major land development scandal. Lee says all this is a conspiracy by President Yoon Suk Yeol to cripple his archrival. Lee may not be wrong and there are signs of a political vendetta. However, many voters, even those who voted for Lee, find it difficult to understand why he fails to resolve all suspicions concerning his involvement in these scandals.
Lee must no longer let his scandal and character flaws give a free hand to the Yoon administration and governing People Power Party.
The scandal-ridden opposition leader and DPK, as his "bulletproof vest," have given a blank check to the president and his party. So, Yoon has withstood public pressure to fire his home minister taking responsibility for the Itaewon crowd crush disaster four months ago. He also got away with numerous appointment mistakes, diplomatic blunders, and anachronistic economic policies. There are even rumors that the governing camp might want Lee to stay until the next parliamentary polls.
Now is the time for Lee to come forth and solve his problems. If he refuses to do so, the DPK should abandon him. Global politics and economy are entering an entirely new era and Korea can ill afford to remain mired in petty politics. The ongoing dogfight within the ruling party to pick its new chairman is no less bleak. The four contenders are competing over who is closer to Yoon.
For decades, two centrist parties by Western standards ― one center-of-right and one center-of-left party ― have led Korean politics. They call themselves conservatives or progressives, but there are not many differences in their policies as foreigners see them.
Korean voters are sick of politics marked by revenge and the purge of former opponents. That may explain why Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun are still the most popular former presidents. Yoon must know that.
Lee, for his part, should recall Admiral Yi Sun-shin's famous words, "Those who try to live will die, and those who try to die will live."
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