Crushing poll defeats for South Korea's ruling party

Moon promised what only Kim could deliver, mortgaging his future to the whims of Pyongyang. Kim played him like a fiddle.

Although a one season rule for leaders isn't a bad idea, it promotes overpromising to get into power. There is no incentive to deliver when you are certain that you will be sacked (or imprisoned, historically) at the end of your term.

SK will endlessly yo-yo between progressives and conservatives (as the sitting government will always fail enough to merit being voted out). Both will play the nationalist card as required. That will poison any alliance with Japan even though it would suit both nations, given the situation with NK and China. As they will be unable to get along, both will have to work a lot harder at the difficult balancing act of keeping both their US protectors and China sweet.

Both JP and SK have a similar problem - traditionalist cultural structures that promote and mainstream abuse, making reform - political, economic and social, very difficult. And both are willing martyrs to their own history, endlessly stirring up past grudges to win a few votes.

Ironically, as Western governments pivot to the Chinese way of doing things, 'taking back control' of their borders, internet and citizens, despite all of the above, SK and JP will appear increasingly enticing, simply by remaining pretty much as they are, as the West slides downhill.

The former 2 mayors were involved in sexual misconduct, which was the major factor why the ruling party was defeated. The Moon administration has performed well in many areas such as economy and COVID-19, but there still are many drawbacks. Democracy is not to elect the best, but to avoid the worst.

We call a country democratic if the ruling party has been replaced by peaceful election at least 3 times. The LDP has lost its ruling-party status just once since 1955, and it is hard to call Japan a democratic state. S. Korea has changed the ruling party at least 3 times even counting since 1987.

Had a degree of hope for Moon when he was elected but alas he and his party have proven to be a disaster for SK. Between licking the a*se of fat boy and royalty screwing the property market for ordinary Koreans they have demonstrated a disregard for democracy, the rule of law and their own constitution that you would only expect in a dictatorship. At least his predecessor was only corrupt.

Happy to see South Korea is changing!

"Crushing poll defeats for South Korea's ruling party"

S. Korea seems to swing back and forth between social and foreign policy conservatives that take a harder line on the North and progressives. One wonders if there is no middle ground in the ROK.