[Editorial] 9 Days to Election

The presidential election, the day we will choose our new leader who will lead this country for the next five years, is just nine days away. The candidates should now prove to us why each of them deserves our vote and how better he can serve us. They, however, still seem to concentrate on mudslinging. If they persist, we cannot achieve real democracy. We the voters should not be distracted and candidates should do what they are supposed to do.

United New Democrat Chung Dong-young and independent contender Lee Hoi-chang are doing their best to damage the authority of the prosecution concerning the BBK scandal. Chung now wants President Roh to publicly clear Roh’s position on the DA’s investigation results into the scandal, and to inspect the results. In a nutshell, Chung is begging the president to interfere in the DA’s investigation. Likewise, Lee has filed a petition with the National Human Rights Commission, urging it to start a probe into the allegation that the prosecutors coerced Kim Kyung-joon, the main culprit in the fraud case, during the investigation.

From the very beginning, Chung and Lee did not seem to care about policies. They have done their utmost to smear leading candidate Lee Myung-bak of the Grand National Party (GNP). Still, their combined approval ratings in various polls do not match the support GNP candidate Lee commands. Contrary to their expectations, GNP candidate Lee is gaining momentum, and more and more people are supporting him. The data are telling Chung and Lee that they cannot win the election with their negative strategies. In a recent poll, 8 out of 10 Koreans supported a bill that would legally prevent mudslinging during the campaign.

We are longing for campaign activities based on policies and visions. We have only two TV debates and each candidate’s policy publication releases left. Candidates’ promises and policies will affect our lives significantly when they are put into law or effect. We may have to cast votes without any confirmed idea of their policies. We are urging candidates to not wage their negative wars any more.

On the other hand, the law enforcement agencies and the campaign staff of each candidate should pay attention to the safety of the candidates. A couple of days ago, an unknown suspect robbed soldiers of a rifle and a RPG launcher, along with ammunition. We don’t know how the weapons might be used. Should the weapons lead to assassination of a candidate, the whole country will be engulfed in great confusion. The government should also take good care of the operating systems and security of our nation.