Survey (1) Political Views of Voters in their 40s
[In ancient Rome, it was common for people to carve the image of their doubled-faced god Janus at their doors, with one side of the head facing outwards the opposite side facing inwards. The two faces of Janus, the god of doorways and passages in Roman mythology, symbolizes the belief that protecting something is all about learning to cover both directions, knowing what’s going in and coming out. The Hankyoreh recently invited nine men in their 40s, all living in Seoul and eligible to vote, to join in a group discussion over the political issues surrounding the May 31 local elections for mayors, governors and regional councilors. Like the two faces of Janus that look in opposite directions, the participants reflected a mixed sense of hope and uncertainty as they talked about the key agendas in recent political arguments and shared their ideas on the social changes needed for a better tomorrow.The nine-man discussion panel was managed and chaired by officials at the opinion research firm Research Plus. To secure objectivity, Research Plus told the participants only after the discussions ended that the event was organized in request by The Hankyoreh. The nine men allowed The Hankyoreh to quote them for the story on conditions that their real names are not revealed.] Koreans now entering their 40s are part of a generation that lived through many dynamic moments and critical periods in the country’s contemporary history. They spent most of their youth under the authoritarian rule of military strongmen such as former President Park Chung-hee and his successors Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo. However, this is the same age group that once glorified themselves as the so-called "386 generation”" (people who are in their 30s, went to college in the 1980s and were born in the 1960s), taking credit for leading the grass-root struggles that ended military dictatorship in the late 1980s and hailed as pioneers who would eventually build a progressive and energetic society. In some way, these people are the Korean society’s own version of Janus, left at the doorway looking in opposite directions, half a step into the older world but still connected with the memories of their passionate youth. It took quite long for the nine men gathered last Thursday at the Seoul office of Research Plus to overcome their reluctance to speak freely about their priorities and political views. Among the first questions they were asked was to describe what are the most important things in their lives at the moment, things that will keep them up at night and guard the doorway. Jin Dong-ho, a real estate broker in Guro-gu, southwestern Seoul, replied "my children and their education." Kim Dong-sam, an office worker living in Yeongdeungpo-gu, said it was "my house and my health." Kim Yong-gyu, an office worker from Yongsan-gu, said he is captivated by the "fears of losing my job" and focuses mostly on gathering updated business information. It was evident that the participants regarded their families as their highest priority in life. Asked what they are reminded of when hearing the word "politics," most of the participants replied with negative images such as "dirty money," "corruption" and "apple boxes" (after the image of bribes being delivered in boxes). Choi Dong-seon went far enough to say that "politics" is a word he does "not want to think about or even pronounce." Kim Young-gyu said he never has a positive opinion of any politician he experienced. However, he makes sure not to miss any votes, in the hope that "this man maybe better than the next." Seo Hyeong-ju echoes Kim’s voice, saying that “indifference to politics will make it only worse.” The words of Kim and Seo might explain the high voter turnout among people in their 40s in the 2002 presidential elections. About 5.98 million of people in their 40s participated in the past presidential election, representing more than 24 percent of all voters to mark the largest voter turnout among age groups. All nine of the participants said their political beliefs have moved closer to the conservative spectrum in past years. However, not all of them were comfortable with the changes in their thinking. Kim Yong-il, a businessman from Songdong-gu, said "my thoughts still belong to the 386 generation but my actions are closer to a conservative." Jeong Su-ho, a real estate broker from Seocho-gu, spoke about the changes in his political view in a more confident voice. "I agree with some of the arguments brought up by Roh Hoe-chan (a lawmaker from the Democratic Labor Party). However, my thought clearly differs from that of the Democratic Labor Party," said Jeong. Kim Dong-sam criticized that the social reform efforts by today’s policymakers lack true direction. "When we were young, reforming the society was clearly about ending the military dictatorship and democratization. However, I am not sure what the changes are for these days," said Kim. The double-faced aspect of the men in their 40s was reveled more clearly as they discussed the legacy of President Roh Moo-hyun. The participants mostly had a high regard for Roh as a politician. "I think Roh is a better politician than any other Korean president in the past. He succeeded in improving transparency and accountability in ever part of the society," said Jeong, who was among the more politically conservative people in the group. However, the participants were critical of Roh's competence at government administration, with most of them agreeing to the beliefs that the president had a poor control over economic policies. Jeong gave Roh 30 points out of 100 for his capabilities as an administrator, and his colleagues were not much kinder. "I voted for Roh in the 2002 elections and I believe that a lot of changes were made for the good after he was inaugurated. The problem is that the positives are buried behind the economic woes, as life becomes tougher for the average person," said Lee Jae-hyeong, an office worker from Gangseo-gu. The participants mostly had a positive view on the rise of female politicians. "There is nothing not to like about that. It is a natural trend that was preceded in many other countries," said Kim Yong-il. Choi Dong-seon agreed with Kim, bringing out the statistics that one-third of the politicians in the United States are women. "Politics is somewhat a form of providing good services, and women could be better than men at least in that aspect," said Jeong. Kim Dong-sam said "the increased social power of women is beginning to show its influence in the political arena." When asked would they vote for Park Geun-hye, the daughter of late President Park and chairwomen of the opposition Grand National Party (GNP), should she run as candidate for the 2007 presidential elections, the participants had a mixed response. "I have nothing against her," said Kim Dong-il. However, Choi Dong-seon said he would not vote for Park since "she lacks charisma." Kim Yong-gyu had a similar opinion of Choi in regard of Park. "It would be okay if the next Seoul Mayor is a woman. However, I am not sure that it would be okay to have a woman as president, considering the heavy responsibilities over the military and foreign policies," said Kim. Lim Sang-Nyeol, the head of Research Plus who chaired the discussion, said that the men in their 40s still have some of the progressive passion of their youth, but does not have big hope in the reformation efforts by the current government due to their economic uncertainties. "The 40s have grown sarcastic of the reformation efforts that have been pushed since the Kim Young-sam government and lost some of the courage of their past that they could make a difference," said Lim. Yi Tae-hui, hermes@hani.co.kr
