[칼럼] Exemplary election

김동현 일민국제관계연구원 방문학자

Democracy is working in South Korea amid the global coronavirus pandemic. The general election for the National Assembly was conducted safely and calmly last week, with meticulously built-in measures against COVID-19.

Korea set an example that other countries, including the United States, should consider copying.

South Korea is faring well among the infected countries in combating the spread of the virus with aggressive testing, quarantine, self-isolation, social distancing, wearing masks and closing crowded places. Now we are waiting for the development of a vaccine or medicine for the virus. We will get through this pandemic.

The Korean elections saw the participation of more than 62 percent of eligible voters, the highest turnout in 16 years. It ended in a landslide win for the ruling Democratic Party of Korea with a whopping gain of three-fifths (180) of the seats over the opposition United Future Party (UFP), which won only 103 seats.

The results were caused primarily by the urgency of the menacing COVID-19 pandemic and the dire economic situation, under which all the political issues the opposition had been raising against President Moon were buried. The elections did not turn out as a referendum on the "poor performance" of the Moon government, as the opposition UFP framed it.

The opposition party suffered from poor leadership, lacking a clear conservative platform, bickering internally during the selection of electoral candidates and failing to show reform itself. Consequently, the people chose to support Moon and his party to keep fighting COVID-19 and to do the best they can to take care of the economy.

The elections also showed that a plurality of the population has moved from conservatives to liberals, while moderate swing voters have increased. The demographic center of gravity has also moved from the older to the younger generations. Two years later, there will be the next presidential election.

North Korea was not a critical issue in the elections. Yet, two North Korean defectors were elected as opposition party members, a demonstration of what can happen in the democratic South. The North did little to influence the outcome of the elections, although it fired three cruise missiles a day before the election day of April 15, which was also the birthday of its founder Kim Il-sung.

There are indications that COVID-19 is posing a grave threat to the health of the North Korean people and their economy. Kim Jong-un held a special meeting of the political bureau of the Workers' Party central committee on April 12 to facilitate "a nationwide step against the spread of the pandemic."

On April 17, the Rodong Sinmun said in an editorial, "Nothing is more precious than the safety of the people. The party's intention is that if any success in socialist construction casts a shadow over the safety of the people and their happy lives, it, in essence, would mean no victory."

It is good that North Korea agrees that the first priority of any government is to protect the lives of its people. The North too is going through a medical and economic crisis, although there is no evidence of any existential threat to the political stability of the regime at this point.

The North's health care system is poor and weak. Hospitals are poorly equipped, suffering a short supply of medicine. They likely have a shortage of test kits for the coronavirus. With the borders closed, smuggling for private markets is becoming more restricted, which is having a detrimental effect on their role of supplementing the North Korean planned economy.

However, one should not underestimate North Korea's resilient ability for survival. The North relies on the isolated, self-sufficient nature of livelihood, particularly in rural areas. Yet, its sustainability will be limited without external assistance. The North knows the South can help it fight the pandemic.

The North saw that the Moon government gained a reinforced mandate from the elections. The North knows that the South does not seek a regime collapse in Pyongyang. Seoul seeks to work peacefully together for mutual security guarantees and common prosperity.

Both Koreas should rethink their strategies to resume their dialogue and cooperation. Nuclear weapons and missiles do not protect people from a pandemic. The sharing of medical resources and experience will help save lives. Both sides should concentrate on efforts to save lives and to keep the economies from going down.

In the meantime, the stalemate on nuclear talks is better than mutual provocations. Yet, we should not lose hope for an eventual peaceful resolution of the ultimate issue of war and peace on the Korean Peninsula.

[The Korea Times, 2020-04-20]
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2020/04/137_288161.html