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Then, when did her “metamorphosis” begin to manifest itself? We might gain some insight about it from her own words during her pre-election 72-hour marathon rally: “I was frustrated and angry at all the lip service that was neglecting the issues of Seoul and those less fortunate. I did some deep soul-searching. And I decided that I should no longer let the false political rhetoric run rampant.” Her tone at that time was very different from a few days before, when she had sounded more like she was reading a prepared speech. A person close to her during the election campaign said, “I think her actual meetings with voters, talking with them, transformed her, and she has come to internalize their concerns.” Initially, Kang joined the mayoral election as a dark horse to deliver the progressive front from its crisis of declining public support. During her final three-day rally, she received more than 100,000 Internet comments from the public and her popularity continually rose. This was a sign that her sincerity and her understanding of the real needs of the public were striking a chord with the people. She also demonstrated her increased political independence. That is, she was no longer merely identified as Roh Moo-hyun’s ex-cabinet member. She even came forward to point out the mistakes of the government. She told her aides, “There is one thing that the Roh administration did wrong. It put forward the wrong agenda. The government neglected to improve the living standards of those socially marginalized and failed to improve the economy.” Now, with Kang’s transformation after the mayoral election, there is already a growing demand for her. She is even mentioned as a possible candidate for president. It appears even that President Roh thinks so. As a matter of fact, upon hearing initially that Kang wasn’t easily persuaded to run for Seoul mayor, President Roh said, “I am not sure why the former justice minister hesitates. If it is not possible to persuade her to run for the Seoul mayoral race, then we should persuade her to run for president.” Kang said she would need more time to think about things. But there is indeed a possibility that she may accept the presidential candidacy, if asked by the Uri Party. A lawmaker at Uri said, “Given that there is growing skepticism surrounding the candidacy of Jung Dong-young and Kim Geun-tae, two other presidential candidate hopefuls, Kang Kum-sil may be a better alternative.” Where does Kang’s “market value” come from? It comes from her patent sincerity, often characterized as “something very typical of Kang.” Representative Oh Young-sik agrees with this view: “Kang has the sincerity that cannot be found in other politicians or political candidates.” He added that her appeal to the pubic has now matured from an emotional one to an understanding and embracing of the pains of the people. Her appeal also comes from her leadership. There are many who highly praise her for her ability to motivate people. Indeed, there is a certain high expectation about her, especially so when the Uri Party has no other hopefuls for the presidential race. Yet Kang has her Achilles’ heel: she has not been tested enough. She only went though a cram course to become a politician in the mayoral race. The Uri lawmaker Lim Jong-seok says, “Being tested as a political candidate and being tested in party politics is quite different. Likewise, being a good candidate does not necessarily mean being a good politician.” In other words, Lim’s comment illustrates that it is one thing to be favored by a party, but it is quite another to actually meet the party’s expectations. It also reveals that real politics is a complicated work of art that requires more careful choreography than just simply being “honest.” The fact that Kang’s political support is not stable is also a problem. She merely won 1 million votes in the last election. That was over 34 percent lower than her opponent, who garnered 1.4 million votes. Ironically, she was running ahead in the polls before the election, only to meet crushing defeat on judgment day, illustrating that her support base is volatile. She also does not have a strong image, like that of Park Geun-hye, who has become the national icon for conservatism. In terms of public appeal, Kang is also well behind Park. And she does not have any proven political accomplishments like Lee Myung-bak, the incumbent Seoul mayor and also a presidential candidate. Her weaknesses do not stop there. Kang does not have any regional support base, nor does she have strong ties with the academic community. Although she has more feminine appeal than Park Geun-hye, in Korean politics this does not matter for much. On the contrary, it often works as a disadvantage. The only thing Kang can claim to her credit is that she is recognized as a person who keeps her pledges. Sadly, that is all she is recognized for at present. Even though she said that “It is time to change the Korean political system and change the world,” we do not really know whether she will really show up on the political stage or not. Even if she does, the audience will still have to wait to see what role she will play. It is even less predictable whether she will do well as a politician. She is looked at apprehensively by some, as a figure who has an equal chance of either rising or sinking. In real politics, there are more losers than winners. The audience has started to recognize the new actress on the stage, Kang Kum-sil, through her attempt to play the role of Seoul mayor, a role which she failed to get. Now, with much curiosity, the audience awaits what her next chapter will be.
