Political party-based politics

The popularity of former software guru Ahn Chul-soo has demonstrated that Korea’s party politics is not functioning properly. The ruling Grand National Party and the main opposition Democratic Party both seem to suffer from arteriosclerosis due to the overly complicated relationships of interests between their internal factions. Discussions over integration of the opposition camp seem be spearheaded by Lee Hae-chan and Moon Jae-in, who remain outside party politics, with the Democratic Party largely bashed. Critics say the public has begun to punish the outdated practice of shameless actions shown by rival party lawmakers, who readily joined forces to raise their own salaries even when engaging in intense inter-party conflict. Politicians have grown so vulnerable to criticism that even Ahn made fun of them, saying, “I`ve never engaged in politics and have not expressed my intent to run for Seoul mayor. I feel awkward and embarrassed to learn that we left our nation in the hands of these folks, who are so feeble that the overall political circle is being swayed.”

Gregory Henderson, who witnessed dynamic shifts in Korean politics while serving as commercial and cultural minister at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul in the 1950s and 1960s, called Korean politics a “vortex.” He noted that intermediary organizations that link the state and the public such as political parties were hardly functioning properly. The public`s instant affection for Ahn, who does not belong to any party, stems from the hopelessness of party politics in Korea.

In the past, Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung were criticized for dictatorially controlling their parties, but they constantly changed their parties by continuously recruiting new faces. They lived up to the expectations of the public, who sought constant change. Korean politics lacks the function for discovering and replacing talented politicians who can lead the country. Only when party politics is recovered properly, the great cause of politics can be achieved as stipulated in the Constitution and the country can overcome street politics.

In his party’s convention as Illinois senator in 2004, Barack Obama politically distinguished himself by delivering a highly touching speech, urging the creation of one America going beyond the divide between conservatives and progressives and discrimination again race. He was the lone African American elected senator that year, and later won the presidential election in 2008 after undergoing intense intra-party competition for selecting his party’s presidential candidate. Independent presidential candidates including Ross Perot and Ralph Nader have made a splash in the U.S. presidential election in the past, but nonetheless failed to overcome bipartisan politics under the Democratic and Republican parties. This stems from the consolidation of the social communication system that operates through party politics that is deep among Americans.

The bread and butter of party politics is to communicate with the public through various filtering apparatuses that gather diverse opinions from the public. If Korea fails to preserve a political party-based democracy that caters to public sentiment, rival parties will both be forced to the cliff of extinction. Ahead of the Chuseok holiday next week, ruling and opposition parties should hear the public’s vivid opinions in every corner of the nation. Based on the results, they should be ready to dismantle everything and renew their commitment to re-establish their parties. This is a challenge imposed by Ahn`s influence over Korea’s party politics. The ruling and opposition parties must preserve political party-based democracy.