It was around this time of the year in 1987 that I had a glimpse of the ongoing Presidential campaign in South Korea in the form of posters and processions. It was the very first under the democratized political system there. Twenty-five years have passed since then and five Presidents have come and gone(or going) in the meantime.
This time Ms Park has defeated Mr.Moon by a narrow margin of 3.5%. I would like to congratulate the winner, not as the daughter of a former dictator President, who rushed industrialization and is responsible for the regional and other division in the country, but as a forward-looking woman who cares about this type of division, and the underprivileged classes of people, not the division in abstract and macro terms but the division with a human face.
It was customary to talk about the regional division, which is almost the East-West division in the Peninsula. It is to a certain extent a legacy of the Japanese rule, owing to the way how and where the railroad was constructed, but the dictatorial governments in South Korea made use of the legacy and, under the leadership of the TK(Taegu-Kyongsang) Group, consolidated the advantageous position of the Eastern Provinces. This division is still reflected in the Province-wise voting pattern this time. Ms Park herself is from Taegu in the East.
I hope, however, that the division is on the gradual way out. The process will surely be accelerated with the social policy she has promised to put into effect.
She also seems to have asked Japan to adjust her South Korean policy regarding the territorial issue and the comfort women. She has done well to do so, and Japan should sincerely consider those points. Regarding the former, South Korea should stand on the same level as Japan, without fortifying the islands or sending her President there again. Concerning the latter, it is really a national shame for Japan that the surviving comfort women with their supporters are holding a weekly "Wednesday meeting" in front of the Japanese Embassy at Seoul. Only 59 out of 234 Korean women who have come out are surviving.
Finally what about the DPRK(North Korea)? South Korea should aim at concluding peace with the north in one year's time. Not unconditionally. The pending issues should be ascertained and prioritized within this one year. The South must be cautious about the Visa and immigration. Too imaginary? May be. But is there any other way? The matter is so urgent. But if realized it will create jobs in both Koreas for example. The US could also be drawn in. And Japan, too.
Japan? Impossible! This is really the most difficult part of it. Wanting to strengthen the military alliance with the US more, yes, even more, and quite unnecessarily, and involving a lot of waste of money, our leadership will be totally unable to see what to do. But that is what we have to face squarely, in order to live as a respected, or, if not immediately, at least a honest and trustworthy member of the region.
This is my humble hope for 2013.
This time Ms Park has defeated Mr.Moon by a narrow margin of 3.5%. I would like to congratulate the winner, not as the daughter of a former dictator President, who rushed industrialization and is responsible for the regional and other division in the country, but as a forward-looking woman who cares about this type of division, and the underprivileged classes of people, not the division in abstract and macro terms but the division with a human face.
It was customary to talk about the regional division, which is almost the East-West division in the Peninsula. It is to a certain extent a legacy of the Japanese rule, owing to the way how and where the railroad was constructed, but the dictatorial governments in South Korea made use of the legacy and, under the leadership of the TK(Taegu-Kyongsang) Group, consolidated the advantageous position of the Eastern Provinces. This division is still reflected in the Province-wise voting pattern this time. Ms Park herself is from Taegu in the East.
I hope, however, that the division is on the gradual way out. The process will surely be accelerated with the social policy she has promised to put into effect.
She also seems to have asked Japan to adjust her South Korean policy regarding the territorial issue and the comfort women. She has done well to do so, and Japan should sincerely consider those points. Regarding the former, South Korea should stand on the same level as Japan, without fortifying the islands or sending her President there again. Concerning the latter, it is really a national shame for Japan that the surviving comfort women with their supporters are holding a weekly "Wednesday meeting" in front of the Japanese Embassy at Seoul. Only 59 out of 234 Korean women who have come out are surviving.
Finally what about the DPRK(North Korea)? South Korea should aim at concluding peace with the north in one year's time. Not unconditionally. The pending issues should be ascertained and prioritized within this one year. The South must be cautious about the Visa and immigration. Too imaginary? May be. But is there any other way? The matter is so urgent. But if realized it will create jobs in both Koreas for example. The US could also be drawn in. And Japan, too.
Japan? Impossible! This is really the most difficult part of it. Wanting to strengthen the military alliance with the US more, yes, even more, and quite unnecessarily, and involving a lot of waste of money, our leadership will be totally unable to see what to do. But that is what we have to face squarely, in order to live as a respected, or, if not immediately, at least a honest and trustworthy member of the region.
This is my humble hope for 2013.
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