Multiple Political Dramas
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This article analyzes how political actors maneuvered and counter-maneuvered in South Korea in 2002, developing political strategy and exploiting national issues in order to position themselves for the presidential election of December 19, which dominated Korean politics throughout the year. Since public opinion polling conducted regularly by major news media had to a great extent shaped important decisions of all aspirants for daekwon (big power), the analysis focuses on explaining how the popularity of Lee Hoi-chang, Roh Moo-hyun, and Chung Mong-jun fluctuated, and how Roh finally won the presidential election. The presidential election scheduled for December 19, 2002, dominated Korean politics all through the year, with all political actors trying to manipulate most other important issues, such as legislation and inter-Korean relations, for the sake of competition for “big power” (daekwon). The major cleavage has been between the ruling minority party, the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP), and the opposition majority party, the Grand National Party (GNP), even though each party consists of many different factions, each of which maneuvers to maximize its interests. The two parties accused each other of corruption and illegal activities, while exposing each other’s dirty linen. As the result, the main issue of the presidential election, the unification policy, and even the investigation of corruption cases by prosecutors, were politicized, leaving nothing in Korea untouched by political considerations. After five years of Kim Dae-jung’s presidency, Korean political circles and society have been torn into many different directions by such factors as ideology, regionalism, personal ties, and like or dislike of the Kim administration. Hong Yung Lee is Professor in the Department of Political Science, the University of California, Berkeley. Asian Survey, 43:1, pp. 64–77. ISSN: 0004–4687 Ó 2003 by The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Send Requests for Permission to Reprint to: Rights and Permissions, University of California Press, Journals Division, 2000 Center St., Ste. 303, Berkeley, CA 94704–1223. 64 D o w n l o a d e d