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| Gender or nat`l security perception?
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| JUNE 20, 2012 05:22 |
Gender or nat`l security perception?
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JUNE 20, 2012 05:22.
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Ruling Saenuri Party Rep. Lee Jae-oh, who is considered a contender for this year’s presidential election, said, “It is premature (for Korea) to have a female leader who has no experience in national defense, though this might be possible after Korean reunification.” This comment was apparently targeted at Rep. Park Geun-hye, former party chairwoman who is seen as the leading candidate for president, and an inappropriate statement at best, which casts doubt on Lee`s own quality and level of understanding. The standard used to measure a person`s qualification for the presidency of a divided nation is not gender but the perception of national security, insight, strong leadership and decisiveness that a supreme commander needs.
Not all men have a solid perception of national security given precedents set by previous presidents of South Korea. The late former President Kim Dae-jung used policy to provide unconditional and generous aid to North Korea, which not only failed to get the North to uphold an agreement on freezing its nuclear program but also provided Pyongyang with the funds to develop nuclear weapons and missiles. This effectively grew into a cancer that still threatens the lives of the South Korean people. Kim’s loose view of national defense also affected his country`s military and prompted top brass to disregard North Korea’s move to intentionally launch aggression despite knowing of the plan in advance. This in turn led to the second inter-Korean naval skirmish near Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea in 2002 and the deaths of six South Korean seamen.
When North Korea launched its Taepodong 2 missile on the dawn of July 5, 2006, then President Roh Moo-hyun responded slowly, saying, “There`s no need for us to hurriedly assemble a national security meeting from dawn and provoke the Kim Jong Il government.” When the North conducted its first nuclear test three months later on Oct. 9, he said, “It`s not aiming at us (South Korea).” So what about incumbent President Lee Myung-bak? In principle, he has emphasized national security but downplayed North Korea’s threat, saying, “Can the North really strike the South?” This comment was followed by the North`s sinking of the South Korean naval corvette Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow sea.
Margaret Thatcher demonstrated that a female leader can be a great commander-in-chief as well. The British prime minister had never participated in combat or served as defense minister, but enabled the U.K. to win the Falklands War by displaying her country`s strongest leadership since Winston Churchill, who spearheaded Britain’s victory in the Second World War. National defense is a responsibility that is not taken by the president alone but born by the national system under the chief executive`s leadership.
In the presidential primary of the then ruling Grand National Party through September 2006, Park was leading then Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak. But the latter overtook the former in approval ratings due to mounting security fears after North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in October 2006. If Rep. Lee Jae-oh attempted to exaggerate national security fears in questioning Park’s leadership to revive the benefit Lee Myung-bak enjoyed back then, this constitutes a sly plot.
If Lee Jae-oh is truly concerned about national security, he should first inquire about the perception of national security rather than gender of the presidential candidate. All ruling party presidential hopefuls as well as Rep. Lee should answer this question on an equal footing. The same holds true for opposition contenders including Rep. Moon Jae-in and South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Doo-kwan, who seek to inherit the legacy of the late President Roh, Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu, who calls himself a successor of the late Kim Dae-jung, and Seoul National University professor Ahn Cheol-soo, who remains undecided over whether to run for president.
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| Ruling Saenuri Party Rep. Lee Jae-oh, who is considered a contender for this year’s presidential election, said, “It is premature (for Korea) to have a female leader who has no experience in national defense, though this might be possible after Korean reunification.” This comment was apparently targeted at Rep. Park Geun-hye, former party chairwoman who is seen as the leading candidate for president, and an inappropriate statement at best, which casts doubt on Lee`s own quality and level of understanding. The standard used to measure a person`s qualification for the presidency of a divided nation is not gender but the perception of national security, insight, strong leadership and decisiveness that a supreme commander needs.
Not all men have a solid perception of national security given precedents set by previous presidents of South Korea. The late former President Kim Dae-jung used policy to provide unconditional and generous aid to North Korea, which not only failed to get the North to uphold an agreement on freezing its nuclear program but also provided Pyongyang with the funds to develop nuclear weapons and missiles. This effectively grew into a cancer that still threatens the lives of the South Korean people. Kim’s loose view of national defense also affected his country`s military and prompted top brass to disregard North Korea’s move to intentionally launch aggression despite knowing of the plan in advance. This in turn led to the second inter-Korean naval skirmish near Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow Sea in 2002 and the deaths of six South Korean seamen.
When North Korea launched its Taepodong 2 missile on the dawn of July 5, 2006, then President Roh Moo-hyun responded slowly, saying, “There`s no need for us to hurriedly assemble a national security meeting from dawn and provoke the Kim Jong Il government.” When the North conducted its first nuclear test three months later on Oct. 9, he said, “It`s not aiming at us (South Korea).” So what about incumbent President Lee Myung-bak? In principle, he has emphasized national security but downplayed North Korea’s threat, saying, “Can the North really strike the South?” This comment was followed by the North`s sinking of the South Korean naval corvette Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in the Yellow sea.
Margaret Thatcher demonstrated that a female leader can be a great commander-in-chief as well. The British prime minister had never participated in combat or served as defense minister, but enabled the U.K. to win the Falklands War by displaying her country`s strongest leadership since Winston Churchill, who spearheaded Britain’s victory in the Second World War. National defense is a responsibility that is not taken by the president alone but born by the national system under the chief executive`s leadership.
In the presidential primary of the then ruling Grand National Party through September 2006, Park was leading then Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak. But the latter overtook the former in approval ratings due to mounting security fears after North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in October 2006. If Rep. Lee Jae-oh attempted to exaggerate national security fears in questioning Park’s leadership to revive the benefit Lee Myung-bak enjoyed back then, this constitutes a sly plot.
If Lee Jae-oh is truly concerned about national security, he should first inquire about the perception of national security rather than gender of the presidential candidate. All ruling party presidential hopefuls as well as Rep. Lee should answer this question on an equal footing. The same holds true for opposition contenders including Rep. Moon Jae-in and South Gyeongsang Province Gov. Kim Doo-kwan, who seek to inherit the legacy of the late President Roh, Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu, who calls himself a successor of the late Kim Dae-jung, and Seoul National University professor Ahn Cheol-soo, who remains undecided over whether to run for president.
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