ELECTIONS IN SOUTH KOREA

ELECTIONS IN SOUTH KOREA

Elections in South Korea are loud. Loud, loud, loud. The candidates advertise through blaring mobile and still vehicles that blast loud messages and slogans.

Each Candidate also has a number attributed to their name- offering the convience of not ever having to know a candidates name and only remembering what number they are.

Their were banners all over Changwon for the presidential and gubernatorial candiates.

The presidential front runners were Park Geun Hye and Moon Jae In. Park Geun Hye was the first woman to run for presidential office in South Korea. She is also the daughter of former South Korean president, and later dictator, Park Chung-hee. Park Chung-hee did a lot to develop South Korea but had a less than favorable human rights record. In contrast, Moon Jae In was a human rights lawyer.

Park Geun Hye was the candidate for the conservative party and Moon Jae In ran for the liberal party. I don't know how they differed in most things, but what I do know was that Park Geun Hye believed in taking a harder line with North Korea, whereas Moon Jae In sought to try to begin working toward ammends, or at least would be willing to meet and converse North Korean leaders. They also both sought to low higher education costs an to improve public education, much to a Hagwon owner's chagrin. However, even if school's do get even better, parents will still put their kids in Hagwons.

Election day is December 19th. People have the day off from work to vote. Schools are not in session. Mine was because my work day begins at 2PM.

The election was pretty decisive. Park Geun Hye won. Younger people in South Korea lamented this outcome because they want to a Korea that is moving forward rather than (socially) stagnating and moving backward. Also the official TV results for the national election looked like somebody had just finished a game of Wii Tennis.

Wii Election

Again, I wish I could offer more perspective but, there was too much I didn't understand. Also they didn't do TV attack ads or anything. Just loud blaring music/campaign shouting everywhere for about 4-6 weeks leading up to the election.

Here is a video I took of a Park Geun Hye rally in front of my building. I later found out that she actually made an appearance there a few hours later, but I was at work already (turn down your volume- it's loud).