[Editorial] Grasp What People Want for Next President

In the Chusok (Korean Thanksgiving day) holidays, a small meeting to talk about the presidential election will be held in every home, as it was in years in which presidential elections were held. When family members and relatives gather together and talk sincerely about the election, they can set their own criteria for the next president. During these holidays, some Seoul citizens visit their kin in the country, while those living in other provinces would go to Seoul. Through the huge migration, people living in different regions mix together and exchange their opinions about the upcoming presidential election. Then there will be made a kind of tendency in the public’s opinion.

Without a failure, political circles are busy drawing support through this opportunity. But the trouble is that special newsletters of political parties or books on direction for campaign in the holidays, results of their activities, are just about defaming other parties’ candidates. It cannot but be interpreted as the intervention of political circles in the formation of public opinion. If it is not the intervention, why do they repeat the same things of which people are really sick and tired?

Now, the public knows what their intention is. When politicians made far-fetched arguments, people do not listen to them. During these holidays, people will discuss the real state of the current administration, change in the popularity of presidential candidates, their quality and life, and the prospect of the December election. Then looking back on their hard life, they will reflect on who will be qualified for the presidency. Though the Korean politics has always disappointed the public, it still cannot just look aside from it.

During the holidays, politicians should be quiet and just listen to people. Rather than saying, “We confirmed that people are behind us,” after the holiday, they should take a serious attitude to understand what the public really wants and include it into national government. For their part, the candidates should show clearly what they would do as president and then they just wait for the public’s response. I hope politicians will have a broad mind rather than slandering each other, when the holidays end, and people go back to work.