ed Pre-inauguration anxiety

By Lee Chang-sup

Park Geun-hye is set to take office Monday, but even before she officially takes charge, some are questioning her leadership skills. Organizers are working on last minutes, hoping the ceremony sets the tone for uniting the people and jump-starting the economy.

About 70,000 people, including foreign VIPs and ordinary Koreans, will attend the ceremony to be held at the plaza of the National Assembly in Yoido. Park, wearing a traditional Korean hanbok, will deliver her promise to the nation in central Seoul.

The ceremony will focus on uniting the people, a campaign promise that helped Park get into office. Korea’s pop singers will attempt to bridge the generational gap by singing iconic songs that prevailed from the 1950s to the 2010s, and Psy will perform his hit “Gangnam Style” as well. The KBS Gag Concert staff, featuring Korea’s top comedians, will conclude the ceremony. Contrary to the joyful mood organizers are trying to create around the ceremony, many Koreans are not feeling anything festive for several reasons. Inter-Korean relations are at a historic low, as speculation suggests North Korea will conduct another nuclear test soon. Further, Koreans are battling internal woes, and the economy is weakening.

The Bank of Korea shows the economy grew by 2 percent last year thanks to strong exports. However, domestic demand has been stagnant. Manufacturing is declining, and the service sector is even 50 percent less productive than manufacturing. Some analysts fear Korea has entered a Japan-style long-term deflationary phase.

The looming global currency war, including Japan, China and the United States, will likely dampen Korea’s exports. Korea’s key economic partners, the U.S., Europe and China are still recovering from the global economic crisis in 2008.

Internally, domestic demand will also likely remain weak due to falling income. Housing market continues to decline, and education costs remain high, which will continue to suppress individual spending. Victims of the polarized economy, including the poor, small companies and irregular workers are struggling.

An OECD report shows Korea’s growth rate will fall to zero in 2039 caused by declining birth rates. The report also predicts Korea will be behind Japan in economic growth rate by 2035.

Socially and politically, the country remains quite divisive. Citizens regard compromise as loss of face. Their impulsive anger often leads to street quarrels, killings and suicides. Similarly, the National Assembly has yet to understand the art of compromise, and regional political and ideological clashes are still part of daily life.

Park won the election on the promise of solving these Korean diseases. She emphasized uniting the people, easing economic polarization and building trust between the two Koreas. Upon victory, she vowed to embrace the 48 percent of the voters who supported her rival, Moon Jae-in.

So far, many Koreans believe she has failed to deliver what she promised. According to Korea Gallup, her approval rating has fallen for the past two weeks to 49 percent Monday, below the 52 percent she received in the December election. Many believe her first mistake was nominating Kim Yong-jun as the prime minister designate. He withdrew the nomination amid allegations of tax evasion and exemption of his two sons from mandatory military duty.

Her reliance on secrecy, lack of consultation and top-down instruction has brought about many side effects. She embarrassed the country when she secretly named Cabinet members and presidential secretaries. According to the opposition Democratic United Party, some nominees won’t be endorsed by the National Assembly because of questionable tax records and property investments.

Furthermore, she angered her opposition by naming the minister in charge of science, technology, IT and telecommunications before the National Assembly endorses the bill to create the ministry. She promised a strong Cabinet, but her selections lead some to believe she wants to control everything.

Despite her promise on uniting the people, she picked Cabinet ministers mostly from Seoul, alienating those living outside the capital. No Cabinet post was offered to the opposition. Surprisingly, she named a former four-star general as her bodyguard. This is a puzzling move because the bodyguard will enjoy a ministerial status.

Park’s performance for the past two months suggests her leadership style is disappointing, although it may be too early to judge

To become a successful president, she should shed the image that she is a queen, not the president. She should know that many of her father’s successful strategies would no longer work these days.

People want to know her long-term goals, including how to promote peace and political stability on the Korean Peninsula. They want to know how she will deliver on her promise to unite the people, stimulate the economy, revive the dismal property market and promote social harmony.

To do so, she needs to listen to the professional views of her advisors. Korea is too complex a society for a leader to do everything. Institutionalizing the role of the president in the initial phase of her presidency will be important.

While Park faces many problems, the Gallup poll shows 74 percent of the people believe she will do well as the president. The poll offers an optimistic outlook in the face of many challenges, but we must remember her success is a success for Korea.

Lee Chang-sup is the executive managing director of The Korea Times. Contact him at editorial@koreatimes.co.kr.