For the first time, Korean partisan politics came under female leadership in both ruling and opposition camps. Han Myeong-sook, who was prime minister under President Roh Moo-hyun, took the helm of the newly reassembled main opposition Democratic United Party to lead it through the National Assembly elections in April and possibly until the presidential vote in December. She will take on the Grand National Party’s Park Geun-hye, who now heads an emergency committee to overhaul the ruling party ahead of the elections.
Han gained the most ballots among the nine candidates in the DUP’s first national convention to elect six executive members through a complex voting system combining mobile and on-site votes by members, non-member citizens and delegates to the convention. The election was held the day after Han was cleared by an appeals court of bribery charges stemming from her contacts with a businessman while she was serving as the nation’s first female prime minister in 2006.
The smooth, compassionate image of the 67-year-old former civic activist must have attracted votes from people who particularly wanted a leadership role harmonizing the different components of the party that claims to be the legitimate heirs to the long democratic movement since the 1950s. Her acquittal at the Seoul Appellate Court on Saturday is also believed to have added a significant number of votes for her.
Han’s first task is conducting fair nominations for the Assembly elections. She declared that the party would “let the people decide” who would represent the party in the elections, but she will soon realize how difficult it is to execute the principle in the actual nomination process. Creating the right chemistry between the different groups made up of former loyalists of Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, civic activists and labor union representatives all trying to grab as many seats as possible will be next to impossible.
If the DUP fairs well in April by gaining a plurality or even a majority, Han will go on steering the party toward the presidential election. She declared she would not bid for president. Her role will be presiding over the in-party race of the three to four candidates in the fairest manner possible.
Her job will not stop there. The Ahn Cheol-soo factor has to be considered all the time. A grand coalition may have to be sought with the social reformist, who commands immense support among young people.
Many hope that Han will display good stewardship to prove her capability as well as integrity, which was a little smeared by the prosecution’s relentless accusations during the bribery trials.
