Election time!

Today was election day - the good citizens of South Korea had the day off (wow!) to go to the polls and vote for their next president. There were 12(!) candidates for the next prez of the world's 12th biggest economy. Election day was thus the culmination of several days of last minute campaigning, consisting of many on-the-street rallies like this:

There were lots of choreographed dances set to peppy music. I only wish I had the chance to provide video of this impressive routine by supporters of Kwon Young-ghil (#3), who seems to be the pro-Labor, popular-with-college-kids, Howard Dean-esque figure (albeit "circa late in the 2004 Democratic primary" Dean, because he doesn't stand a chance of winning).

Plus, the fair share of large vehicles parked in the middle of traffic with supporters giving speeches about their candidates in the middle of speeding traffic.

Like Dean, Kwon Young-ghil was trying hard! Probably just to try to make front-runner's Lee Myung-Bak's impending victory seem a little less authoritative (see below...)

The Korean election was not an election for a next-stage run-off, but the winner-takes all type of deal. Efficient (fewer elections) and fair (what-you-pick-is-what-you-get), I suppose, but may smack of some fault for those of us used to either a run-off style system or the US two-party system.

Front-runner Lee Myung-Bak (#2) urges all the citizens of South Korea to be prosperous...by voting for him, I guess.

As of 11:19 PM Seoul time on Election Day, it is pretty clear that Lee Myung-Bak will be the next president of the Republic of Korea, with over 50% of the vote. In a field of 12, I suppose that constitutes a landslide. Lee has been leading for weeks, despite a lot of controversy that he is a shady character: he's been connected with corporate scandals (he's an ex-Hyundai Group executive).

Quick facts on Lee: He will be the first conservative president in at least two terms (10 years). Prez-elect Lee is pro-business (less regulations), pro-America (we're gonna love that!), and more critical of relations with North Korea than his predecessors. Given the fact that South Korea has been working hard over the past few years (for better or worse) to, er, liberate (for lack of a better term) from US military influence, Lee's presidency could mean a major change in policy. Ditto for the recent North Korean diplomatic events. Lee used to be the mayor of Seoul, and people I talked to said they like him because he did a pretty darn nifty job of revamping the confusing public bus system (lest I remind them that coordinating public transportation is not the same as foreign affairs...whatever...). Anyhoo, despite the shady character, Lee is definitely the "I'm gonna get shit done" candidate. His nickname is the "Bulldozer." 'Nough said.

I wonder what effect his shady business connections will have on the legacy of corrupt public officials in South Korea. I must admit that Lee has a pretty impressive biography (what can I say? I'm a sucker for the pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps history). Still, between the shadiness of character associated with the corporate scandal and campaign imagery of his head pasted on a cartoon body (popular Korean campaign technique, by the way), I'm not so sure the respect will run as deep.



Still, I'm impressed by the liveliness of electoral politics (complete with its fair share of drama and silliness) in South Korea among the youth and elders, particularly since democratic elections were re-established only as recently as 1987. Maybe I should pay a bit more attention to the US presidential primaries now... ^_^