Glad tidings to all
South Korean election is a good news for everyone. The country returned to a transparent and a good governance after an upheavals that jolted the country for several months. A stable government could clean up the mess and could address daunting challenges in its neighbourhood such as toward Japan and China as the relations were worsen over the past few months. Japan recalled its ambassador from Seoul over the Comfort Women issue and ties were damaged with China over the deployment of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) defence system by South Korea. Above all, North Korean armed provocations continued to threaten Seoul’s security that largely baffled in giving an effective response.
South Korea plunged into political chaos for months. General elections were held on 9 May to elect the representative Government after conservative President Park Geun-hye was impeached by the Parliament in December on charges of corruption and misuse of power- a decision that was upheld by the Constitutional Court. She was sent to jail on 30 March.
Therefore, snap elections were held. Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party was elected as South Korea’s new President with 41.1 per cent of the popular vote of 32.8 million voters, defeating his conservative challenger Hong Joon-pyo who secured at 23.3 per cent of votes. President Moon is a human rights activist, a lawyer and is a centre-left politician.
The Government was framed amidst high tensions with Japan, North Korea, and China. President Trump also followed a much harder stance on North Korea and declared a ”unilateral action” after its ”strategic patience” was exhausted. Hope the new elected government would address these issues effectively and in a reconciliatory manner.
For the resolution of tension on the Korean Peninsula, South Korean approach matters more than the approaches of other contenders. It is ”home-grown” approach and well understands twists and turns and ups and downs. This approach is likely to yield better results. The approach sounds like the ”two Koreas first’ and if the issue is resolved between them, what else they do not need is respective allies.
Contrary to Trump, President Moon’s ”strategic patience” with Kim Jon-un has not exhausted. He brings new hopes and ways to bridge differences. He is known as a high quality and soft leader in many years in South Korea who will take a much sober and logical approach toward the resolution of the inter-Korean mess up created in August last when the Kaesong industrial complex was closed that created 50,000 jobs for impoverished North Korean workers. Since then North Korea further retaliated.
Moon often argues that South Korea has no choice but to recognise the North Korean regime under Kim Jong-un as the leader of a reclusive neighbour. He says that South Korea has no choice but to recognise North Korean leader. President Moon signalled that he is looking to adopt a less antagonistic and more open and diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang, deviating what Trump suggests. ”I will do whatever it takes to help settle peace on the Korean Peninsula including visiting North Korea”, President Moon told the National Assembly.
President Moon’s policy upsets South Korea key allies. It is ”live and let live” approach and a ”win-win” situation for the two Koreas. The approach is similar to the former President Kim Dae-jung’s ”Sunshine” policy to bring the two Koreas together and defuse enmity and armed tussle.
The new Government of President Moon is greatly expected to repair broken ties between the two countries and brings the cloud of peace and tranquillity on the Korean Peninsula. His approach has made the prospective of the stalled Six-Party Talks suspended since 2008 and North Korean further armed provocations. In this context, the prospects of the re-unification would be brightened. President Moon’s election also shows that the majority of South Koreans want to reconcile with their nuclear armed neighbour. They are not warmongers and they preferred peace than ”unilateral” action against North Korea.
President Moon initially opposed the deployment of the THAAD but later he wanted to try both options- deployment and withdrawal. It, however, looks that since his inclination to North Korea and in order to improve political and economic ties with China, he will be having no option but to oppose the THAAD deployment. This would increase his capacity larger to reconcile with his both powerful neighbours.
The South Korean ballot is a matter of relief for China as it pins great hope to remove the irritant of the THAAD deployment. President Moon will review the THAAD deployment and souring of his country’s ties with China, which fiercely opposed its deployment. The THAAD could reach China. Together with Beijing, Seoul could develop its response toward North Korea in bringing peace on the Korean Peninsula.
