The
Multiple Facets of a History Maker
On
December 19, 2012, Park Geun-Hye made history. Madam Park became the first
female president as well as the first child of a former president to be elected
in South Korea. Madam Park is the first woman to lead a country where Parliament, the cabinet and
corporate boardrooms are predominantly male and the gender income gap is the
widest among member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development. She emerged as the president despite being in a heavily
male-dominated community and country.
Milestone for Women in
Positions of Power
Even before she was elected, there was
constant discussion on what Park’s potential win would mean for women in South
Korea. Park used her gender as a pitch for her campaign. The three words that
most often appeared in her advertisements were “Ready female president” (MacKinnon).
The
Washington Post said that if Park wins, it would
“represent a major symbolic breakthrough in a region underpinned by
Confucianism, a Chinese-born philosophy that says women should be obedient to
their husbands” (Ms. Park’s Role).
Similarly, The Globe and Mail in Canada
declared, “Should she win, Ms. Park will blaze a new trail for women in a
deeply patriarchal country” (MacKinnon). It would be a transformation of norms
when thinking of occupations based on gender. Park could help “normalize the
idea of women holding positions of power.” Beyond the government, The Washington Post declared that this
could open opportunities for women even in the corporate world or at universities
(Ms. Park’s Role). According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development, South Korea ranks 108 among 135 countries in terms of gender
inequality (Choe).
Exceeding a transformation on solely a
national level, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and Africa wished that
Madam Park’s election “mark another milestone for women leadership in the
world.” Other female
leaders around the world include German chancellor Angela Merkel, Brazilian President Dilma
Rousseff and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (Lee). In the All Africa Newspaper (Monrovia), the
writer discusses President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s message of congratulations
to Madam Park Geun-Hye. President Sirleaf congratulated Madam Park on
her win as the first female president of the Republic of South Korea. She
stated that she received the news with “profound pleasure.” Sirleaf recalled
her moment of victory as the
first elected female President of Liberia and Africa. President Sirleaf
contended, “I appreciate the remarkable opportunity as well as the
enormous challenge that now confront you.” She hoped that Park could serve as a
“shining inspiration” to women and girls around the world and encourage them to
“work towards making meaningful contributions to the progress of their
societies.”
‘Madam President Park’
It is curious to examine the new
questions that arise with the election of a female president. One conversation
that spurred was what to call the new president. The Korea Times checked to see what title is most appropriate for
President Park Geun-Hye. The unanimous decision: ‘Madam.’ The Korea Times consulted with scholars, ambassadors, and
businesspeople alike. Concerning appropriateness, given her position as the
head of state at age of 61 and unmarried, they decided ‘Madam’ (Jung).
This dialogue does not often occur for
it is usually clear how to address a superior. However, there was much question
on whether they should address Park as ‘Madam’ or ‘Ms.” and which is more
appropriate. The conclusion ended with
‘Madam.’ Kathleen Butterly Nigro, a gender studies professor at the University of Missouri-St.
Louis disclosed, “Madam is an honorary title and is appropriate to recognize
her position in the government… The title ‘Ms.’ … carries social implications
that are irrelevant.” The latter title is more informal and personal, but that
is not what the paper is aiming for. When Madam is used, the “prestige of the
position is what gets highlighted” rather than “an individual's personal
traits” (Jung).
Madam
was previously used when referring to a married woman but is now a title of
respect. According to Collins COBUILD Dictionary, “Madam is a very formal and polite
way of addressing a woman… who is of a superior rank.” In addition, it can
imply that the woman is “powerful, self-possessed, and self-determined in her
own right.”
Most of the female leaders around the
world are addressed as Madam President. Canadian Ambassador to Korea agreed and
noted, in Canada, she will be referred
to as Madam President Park Geun-Hye.
Although ‘Miss’ or ‘Ms.’ are titles that should be accepted as well and are
technically correct for the leader because she has never been married, it is
inappropriate.
Mother of the Country
Park Geun-Hye is seen as a symbol of a girl who grew up before the
nation's eyes to become a national mother figure. Madame Park looks “eerily reminiscent” of her mother, whom
South Korean history books have cast as the nation's “ultimate first lady - a
martyr” (Kim). Park’s approach
to gaining the hearts of the people was to call them her family. She stated, “I
have no family to take care of and no children to pass wealth to. You, the people, are my
family and your happiness is the reason that I stay in politics.” She launched
her presidential bid as a paternalistic “National Happiness Campaign”, but made
sure to reassure voters that democratic values were the principle of her
politics (McElroy). The International
Herald Tribune also mentions that during the campaign, Madam Park “borrowed a page from that
script” by reminding voters that she, having never married or had children, had
“nobody to mother except the people” (Kim).
Legacy as Former
Dictator’s Daughter
Controversy and discussion on
now-President Park stretches beyond the lengths of gender issues. Several news
sites focus on gender but additionally, make a turn and zoom onto Park’s past
and her “legacy.” This topic was widely talked about during the race. MacKinnon
writes, “But gender issues are on the sidelines of this race.” He refers to the
election as a “referendum on the legacy” of Park Chung-Hee, Park’s father (MacKinnon).
Much of her “core support” derived from
fond memories of the rule of her father. Park Chung-Hee led South Korea for 18
years before he was assassinated. Although he is regarded as a “repressive
autocrat,” he is also considered the “genius” who helped transform South Korea
from an “economic backwater into one of the most affluent places on Earth.” Under his leadership, South Korea turned from a country
where per capita income was just $100 a year into what is now a global economic
powerhouse whose smartphones, cars and ships are exported around the world
(Choe). During
the 18-year dictatorship, South Korea’s economy was transformed into the fourth
largest in Asia (McElroy). Lee Yeon-Hee, a 65-year old grandmother reveals”
When I was young, I had nothing to eat and couldn’t go to school. Park
Chung-Hee gave us our daily meal… Park Geun-hye is
his daughter. She has the leadership skills to help South Korea recover from
the economic situation we're facing” (MacKinnon). The Globe and Mail author describes Park in the way that he sees
those who support Park Geun-Hye. He
talks of her “legacy” and her “genius” of a father. He also states that Park is
seen as having inherited her fathers “legendary toughness.”
Suki
Kim offers a new perspective on the support from the older generation. She
describes how her own parents supported Park’s election. They “expressed the
collective sentiment of the 50-60 generation when they explained to me why:
they feel sorry for her and indebted to her, because she has been all alone”
(Kim).
A
main factor in the election was whether or not the people felt the candidate
could help the country come back from the economic situation. “South Koreans
say her first duty is to rescue their slowing economy” (Kim). This is why her
father’s legacy was so crucial in her election. The way in which her father
renewed and completely rejuvenated South Korea’s economy in the past was an
encouraging concept for the people to remember with Park Geun-Hye. However, Suki Kim reveals an even different
viewpoint:
I find that strange - nostalgia
whitewashing the past. Park
Geun-Hye has never rated pity; she is a modern-day princess born to
privilege inherited from a ruthless dictator. Yes, her father elevated South
Korea's economy. But he also tortured dissidents and changed the constitution
to keep himself in power. He left South Koreans thirsting for democracy, and
while they were building it in the 1980s and '90s, they largely dismissed him
as an oppressor - until his daughter returned, pulling on their heartstrings.
We can only hope the dynamic will be different now.
Moreover, unlike her father, who had
kept South Korea orderly, Madam Park must
struggle to win back younger and liberal South Koreans who “have no fear of
speaking out against her.” Several comments were made in the blogosphere
against her including both her past and the present. When she named Queen
Elizabeth I as her role model, many “[berated] her sense of entitlement.” They
openly called her election a “return to the past” and argued that many of the
country’s current problems were a direct influence of her father. In addition,
she was accused of “glorifying his dictatorship” (Choe).
After
her win, in downtown Seoul, Park said before a cheering crowd of supporters
that her win is “a victory brought by the aspiration of the people to overcome
crisis and resurrect the economy.” She vowed to be a president who is “devoted
to the public livelihood” and “keeps her promises” (Lee).
Tension between the
Koreas
Jo
Dong-ho, a professor at Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, declared “[Park
Geun-Hye] was born to be a conservative and security-minded. As a young woman,
when she first heard of her father's assassination, she did not cry or ask how
he died, but rather the first thing she did was to ask whether everything was
all right along the border with North Korea” (Choe). There are strong tensions
on the North Korean front, and in addition to this, her presidency adds a family rivalry
into relations between the two Koreas. Under Park Chung-Hee, her father, a staunchly
anti-Communist conservative mainstream took root in South Korea. The current
North Korean leader is Kim Jong-un, the grandson of the North Korean founder,
who sent 31 commandos in 1968 in a failed attempt to attack the Blue House and
kill Ms. Park’s father.
Madam
Park was elected right around the same time that North Korea performed its
third nuclear testing. She starts her term amid a “growing frustration over
decades of U.S.-led efforts to end North Korea's nuclear weapons development,”
and many are calling for a more active role by South Korea. “I will move
forward step-by-step on the basis of credible deterrence to build trust between
the South and the North,” the President said. The International Herald Tribune author, Choe Sang-Hun, writes, “Whatever
move she makes, the stakes will be high.” It is important for her to be careful
in her steps because it is the start of her term. It will help “set the pace
and tone of the policies of other regional powers.” Mr. Bong states, “Everyone
is watching her, including North Korea.” Other International Herald Tribune writer, Shin Gi-Wook, reveals what
Americans are considering in this situation. The critical questions are whether
Park Geun-Hye will be “both a strong leader and a good partner in dealing with
the increasing North Korean threat.” Shin declares that Park comes “with some
weighty baggage.” It is a very casual way of discussing the president’s
position in the conflict, but places a stronger emphasis on her history.
However, he counteracts his “weighty baggage statement” by stating, “But like
other daughters of charismatic Asian leaders, such as Indira Gandhi and
Megawati Sukarnoputri, Park is
formidable in her own right. She rescued her party twice from the brink of
collapse, earning her a reputation as the ‘queen of elections’” (Shin).
It is unclear what will happen with
the North Korean conflict, and how South Koreans and the world will react to
Madam President Park Geun-Hye’s decisions. The stakes are high and there really
is no definite direction she is currently heading in. There are strong tensions,
and whatever decisions she makes could be monumental or detrimental.
WORKS
CITED
Choe, Sang-Hun. "Daughter of a Dictator,
Leader of a Democracy." The
International Herald
Tribune 26 Feb. 2013. LexisNexis.
Web. 27 Feb. 2013.
"First Elected Female President of Korea
Applauded." AllAfrica
Newspapers (Monrovia) 28 Dec.
2012. LexisNexis. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.
Jung, Min-ho. "'Madam is More
Appropriate'." Korea
Times 6 Jan. 2013. LexisNexis. 27 Feb.
2013.
Kim, Suki. "South Korea's National Mother
Figure." The
International Herald Tribune 25
Feb.
2013: 8. LexisNexis. Web. 27 Feb. 2013.
Lee, Joo-Hee. "Korea Gets First Female
President." The Korea
Herald 20 Dec. 2012. LexisNexis.
27 Feb.
2013.
MacKinnon, Mark. "Dictator's daughter looks
to make history." The
Globe and Mail
(Canada) 19 Dec. 2012. LexisNexis. 27 Feb. 2013.
McElroy,
Damien. "Assassinated Dictator's Daughter Becomes
First Female President of South
Korea." The Daily Telegraph (London) 20 Dec. 2012, 2 ed. LexisNexis. 27 Feb. 2013.
"Ms. Park's Role in Korea's Women's rights
Still Disputed." Korea
Times 19 Dec.
2012. LexisNexis. 27 Feb. 2013.
Shin, Gi-Wook, and David Straub. "A Tough
Woman in a Tough Job." The
International Herald
Tribune. 21 Dec. 2012.LexisNexis. 27 Feb. 2013.
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