On March 9th, 2022, Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party was elected President for South Korea’s next five-year term. With more than three-quarters of South Koreans casting their votes, Yoon was able to narrowly pull ahead in the polls with 48.6% of the votes, while his longtime opponent, Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party, won 47.8% of the votes. Considering the various scandals both candidates faced (ie. corruption, sexism, nepotism), political scientist Ahn Byong-jin of Jyung Hee University says that it was “a contest between the unlikeable, a choice of who is the lesser evil” (NYT).
One factor citizens considered would be his occupation as a successful former prosecutor, suggesting that Yoon has less experience in politics and foreign relations. Regardless of his background, he claims that he wants to “remove the incompetent and corrupt democratic party from power” after outgoing President Moon Jae-in's government was exposed to ethical dilemmas and policy failures regarding the housing crisis, income inequality, and lack of social mobility (NYT). Domestically, Yoon aims to enact a “real estate policy of supplying 2.5 million housing units…” and “reforming the comprehensive property tax system” (Council On Foreign Relations). Regarding gender inequality, the two candidates have divisive stances. As an anti-feminist, Yoon was able to appeal to young voters, particularly young men who consider women as a “threat” toward work opportunity and thus amplifying the current unemployment crisis. Yoon also mentioned in his campaign that he hopes to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, while also raising the penalty for falsely reported sex crimes (CNN).
Considering Yoon’s stance on international relations, he mentioned in his campaign toward solidifying his ties with the USA and Japan, effectively, pulling away from China and mitigating China’s growing influence. Under the Biden administration, he aims for South Korea to join the USA, Australia, and Japan to form the “Quad,” advocating for a “free, open and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific” (Politico). Yoon also refuses to ease sanctions until North Korea “makes active efforts in complete and verifiable denuclearization” (CNN), taking a more confrontational stance.
The South Korean Election demonstrates the influence of public opinion. We can consider the effect of voting based on policy rather than party as shown through how young men voted for a candidate that aligns with their values and benefits them. Furthermore, we are able to also recognize the international economic effects and how that influences opinion. Because China is South Korea’s main export destination, Yoon will have to consider how South Korea’s economy will be impacted after leaning toward China’s rival global superpower, the USA. Personally, I believe that the USA will benefit in the short-term and gain an ally, but the increasing tensions with China and North Korea may spiral into a bigger problem in the long run.
Why do you think voters saw Yoon as the “better option” despite him not having as much experience in politics?
How do you think Yoon’s presidency will impact the USA both positively and negatively?
What do you think Yoon will do (or at least, what he should do) to appeal to citizens who voted against him?
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/03/08/world/korean-election
https://www.cfr.org/blog/south-koreas-real-estate-policy-and-presidential-election
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/09/south-koreas-yoon-suk-yeol-new-president-china-00015960
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/03/08/south-korea-presidential-elections-yoon-feminist/
1 comment:
I think that Yoon was elected partly because of the concept you mentioned which was choosing between the lesser evil. In our own election, many people expressed that Biden was not the best candidate possible but when compared to Trump, many preferred to elect him in order to keep Donald out of office (opportunity cost LOL). Also, if many South Koreans were unhappy with former President Lee Jae-myung, this would've been the most ideal time to get him out of office. Despite Yoon not having any prior experience, he could've been viewed as appealing to those who believed he could be a much needed "refresh" in South Korean government. I don't know much about Yoon other than what was stated in the blog article but it's also possible that citizens figured he would be more responsive or easy to sway towards supporting majority opinion.
I think Yoon's presidency will be mostly if not completely positive. As mentioned, Yoon plans to alliance with the U.S. which is obviously a good thing. The only potential negative things would be drawing animosity from countries who don't support the relationship such as China. However these possibilities are all hypothetical and I feel like South Korea becoming allies with the U.S. would not be as inflammatory as getting directly involved in Taiwan or something.
I think maybe being less of a bigot would help his approval ratings (Mr. Silton I'm sorry if my language isn't academic). Yoon seems to be in the right place in terms of trying to build international relationships and not being Communist. At the same time, I can't help but be astonished at his desire to make life miserable for South Korean women. Considering the fact that women probably make up around half of the eligible voters I don't see why he would go out of his way to enable a bunch of young guys who seem to have severe symptoms of fragile masculinity. I hate to get too judgemental but this guy is very cringe when it comes to gender equality. To answer the question and stop ranting, I would say he needs to become a lot more inclusive and open to the idea of providing equal opportunity to all genders and not discriminating against women in order to gain support. I think trying to appeal to and include the largest amount of people would be common sense when it comes to gaining majority support but I guess not in this case.
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