hankyoreh

Aug. 5. This committee will lead the NPAD at least until the party’s convention in Jan. 2015. (by Lee Jeong-woo

By Seong Han-yong, political correspondent

On Aug. 5 at 10 am, President Park Geun-hye presided over a cabinet meeting at the Blue House over video chat. During the meeting, Park brought up the topic of the July 30 by-elections. “Most of all, I think that the will of the people is for the government and the politicians who represent the people to become their true spokespeople who can mitigate their pain,” Park said. Her comment implies that the opposition party members who lost in the election were not true spokespeople for the public.

A short while later, at 10:30 am, Park Young-sun stood in front of the camera in the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) leader’s office at the National Assembly. She had been selected as the chair of the party’s Emergency Measures Committee after its trouncing in the by-election.

“Only four months after the New Politics Alliance for Democracy was established to fulfill the people‘s hopes and aspirations for a new kind of politics, it finds itself in a desperate situation. We offer our sincerest apologies for failing to follow the will of the people,” the new emergency measures committee chair said as she bowed her head.

As it happens, both the ruling and opposition parties are being led by women. Currently, the positions of president and head of the opposition party, effectively the political leaders of the country, are both occupied by women, the more vulnerable gender in society. This should be regarded as a historical occasion.

For the time being, we have entered an age in which South Korean politics will be dominated by two women surnamed Park. If the two of them create a political climate of dialogue and compromise, there could be a thaw in politics, which would make it easier to run the country. If, on the other hand, they engage in a battle of wills, the currents of political discord could freeze solid.

After Park Young-sun was appointed as floor leader for the NPAD on July 10, she had a congenial meeting with President Park at the Blue House. President Park congratulated her for being the first woman to be appointed as a party floor leader since the establishment of the Republic of Korea. Park Young-sun returned the compliment, saying that her election was made possible by the fact that South Korea had its first female president. The amicable atmosphere was related to the fact that there had been no clear winner in the June 4 municipal elections.

But the position of the two women was altered considerably by the results of the July 30 by-election. Empowered by her party’s victory in the election, Park is putting pressure on the opposition party to cooperate with legislation to stimulate the economy. Park Young-sun, on the other hand, has no option but to concentrate for the time being on bringing her party back from the brink of disaster. The two women’s political priorities do not align.

For the time being, it seems more likely that the relationship between the ruling and opposition parties will shift more toward confrontation rather than reconciliation.

During the press conference on Tuesday, Park Young-sun mentioned President Park twice. “President Park and the Saenuri Party must keep their promises to the Korean people,” she said. Later, she said that, “While the Park administration and the Saenuri Party only emphasize laws and principles, it is the New Politics Alliance for Democracy that enhances this with respect for human dignity and human values and acts accordingly.” For now, Park Young-sun appears to be saying, she will be making clear her opposition to the ruling party.

The NPAD chair also said that the party would return to “political fundamentals.” What would happen if President Park’s “principles” and Park Young-sun’s “fundamentals” clash head on?

The personalities and life journeys of the two female politicians could also have an effect on the relationship between the ruling and opposition parties. President Park spent her younger years as the daughter of the most powerful person in the country, but after she left the Blue House, she spent a long time living as a “tragic princess.” However, she dedicated herself to politics, becoming the head of the party and eventually the president of the country. Park’s personality is fundamentally cold.

Park Young-sun, on the other hand, was born in an ordinary family and achieved her current success through exceptional passion and effort. Her personality is hot. Because of her fiery temper, she sometimes gets into trouble with other people. The two women’s personalities could be compared to ice and fire, substances which are not known for getting along well.

But whatever the case, the destiny of the two politicians is closely aligned. There are fears that if the two of them fail, it will be misinterpreted not as a failure of politicians but rather as a failure of women. Not long ago, a veteran politician told Park Young-sun that the misadventures of Park Geun-hye would make it harder for Park Young-sun to become president since she is a woman, too.

During the middle of the elections for NPAD floor leader in May, an influential politician with the Saenuri Party went around telling NPAD lawmakers a joke with a grain of truth. If Park Young-sun is elected as floor leader, these two women surnamed Park are going to cause a lot of trouble, he said, hoping to keep Park Young-sun from being elected. What would that Saenuri lawmaker say now that Park has become chair of the party’s emergency committee?

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]