The Rok President of 2013-2018: Who Should Lead the Nation at This Critical Time?

Field: Social Sciences (Social Sciences)

AbstractIn December 2012 Korea will elect a new president to lead the nation until the year 2018. What happens in these five years will be critical to the future of Korea. The first step in choosing a new president is to consider the challenges Korea will face in the years ahead. The second step is to consider how prepared a presidential candidate is to meet those challenges. Korean voters will be tempted to vote for a candidate who promises to make their economic lives better, but many of the challenges that Korea faces are bigger than the nation. The next president must be able to see the big picture of international relations, and he or she will also need a long-term policy to transform North Korea into a society and economy that can eventually be merged with Korea. Unfortunately, no one can know exactly what challenges Korea will face in the years ahead, but voters can try to judge who will do the best job of leading them by ignoring promises and instead considering each candidate's character, principles, intelligence, and ability to work and communicate with others.Key Words: 2012 ROK Presidential Election, Presidential LeadershipINTRODUCTION: BASIC ASSUMPTIONS2012 will be an important year of political transitions in Northeast Asia and in the United States. China, (South) Korea, Russia and America will have new leaders, while North Korea will be promoting the appointment of the third generation of the Kim's family to rule the country.Peaceful and efficient leadership change on the national level is no mean task. Government services must continue uninterrupted and there must be some continuity in policies. And once a new leader has taken office, no matter how good or bad, you are usually stuck with him or her for several years, or in the case of a dictatorship, for decades. In December 2012 Korea will elect a new president who will lead the nation until the year 2018. What happens in these five future years will be critical to the future of the nation, for this will not be a time of business as usual.The first step in choosing a new leader is to consider the challenges the nation will face. The second step is to consider how well each candidate can meet those challenges. In the coming years, here are some challenges (not in priority order) that I think will call upon the skills of the next Korean president:(1) The global financial and economic economy will continue to face serious challenges, and these challenges will have an impact on Korea, although the Korean economy in recent years has demonstrated resilience, creativity, and comparative strength.(2) North Korea will not give up its nuclear program and will burden Korea with all sorts of problems and alarms including military provocations.(3) China will continue to grow as a major player in the regional and global economies and will enhance its political and military power accordingly; it will also continue to support North Korea.(4) America's economic problems, resulting in federal budget cuts, will influence Korea's economy and perhaps its security situation.(5) Korean youth and left-wing political citizens will continue to evolve their social networking and social media skills to challenge traditional party politics; this segment of the electorate-ideological and relatively anti-American, pro-North Korean, and nationalismwill continue to fight against globalization, including the KoreaUS Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA).(6) Education will continue to be a driving force in the Korean economy, but educational goals will have to be adjusted in order to ensure economic progress and avoid trapping a large segment of the population in a high education-low employment future.(7) Conflicts within Korean society may threaten to undermine fundamental policies and values such as the rule of law, social accountability, human rights, and the fight against structural corruption. The world continues to move toward open democracy, and those Koreans who support closed, authoritarian systems (such as North Korea's) will hold back Korean progress. …