Park Geun-hye, daughter of a former South Korean general who led a military coup, has been elected as the first female president in South Korea’s history. Her liberal rival Moon Jae-in, has already conceded his defeat. During her campaign, Park presented a platform that included extending a hand of friendship to communist North Korea, fighting government corruption, increasing welfare benefits, improving the, economy and curbing the power of big corporations.
The shadow of the crimes of her father, a former dictator, did hang over Park’s campaign. In September, she made a public apology for the abuses committed by her father. “I believe that it is an unchanging value of democracy that ends cannot justify the means in politics,” Park Geun-Hye said.
Despite freezing temperatures, the turnout for the election was high; 76% of the country’s 40 million eligible voters. The economy seemed to be a high priority among voters. Both candidates promised action to improve the country’s economy, but each proposed different methods for doing so. Voters age 20 through 39 preferred Moon, while those age 50 and above favored Park. Those of the ages 40 through 49 seemed roughly divided. Kang Won Taek, a political scientist at Seoul National University, described the campaign as “not only a battle between two ideological blocs, but also a competition between younger and older generations.”
