[Lee Byung-jong] US presidential election and Korea

Now that the US presidential election is over, with former President Trump’s victory, it might be time to assessment the heated and divisive campaigns of the election, together with its shut resemblance to South Korea’s polarized politics.

Maybe as a result of Korea borrowed its political system from the US on the time of its inception, there are alarming similarities between the 2 international locations’ politics, notably throughout elections. It’s alarming as a result of the bitter and damaging nature of the US presidential election is one thing that may be simply present in Korean elections as properly.

The 2-party presidential system of the US and Korean governments little doubt is a breeding floor for a winner-takes-it-all political tradition. For that cause, their political events conduct excessively confrontational and combative election campaigns.

In doing so, election platforms and pledges develop into more and more excessive as their campaigns progress. Though their extremism one way or the other retreats when it comes to precise coverage implementation after profitable elections, the divisive nature of election campaigns continues to divide and polarize their societies till lengthy after elections are over.

At present, the US is split over many points, together with the financial system, immigration, race and gender. The Democratic Celebration champions a progressive agenda, such because the growth of social welfare, immigration, local weather motion and minority and ladies’s rights. Alternatively, the Republican Celebration pursues extra conservative insurance policies. Tax cuts, a smaller authorities, conventional household values and nativistic immigration laws are their hallmarks.

Such coverage contrasts have all the time existed within the US politics, however the hole has widened considerably lately, thanks in no small diploma to the arrival of former President Trump. His populist push has introduced the Republican Celebration quickly to the far proper in the whole lot from immigration to minority rights. The 2022 reversal of the Roe v. Wade ruling on abortion by the Supreme Court docket, led by Trump-appointed Justices, was the end result of that rightward transfer.

In consequence, the confrontation throughout the US society has grown into a large and ugly tradition struggle the place the whole lot progressive fights in opposition to the whole lot conservative. On the Democrats’ facet are folks of coloration, LGBTQ+ people, ladies, youthful technology and concrete and coastal elites. On the Republicans’ facet, there are white males, evangelical Christians, less-educated heartland residents and older technology, amongst others. The divide amongst younger men and women of their 20s is especially acute. Vice President Harris had a powerful following amongst younger ladies, whereas former President Trump was strongly supported by younger males.

Curiously, such divisions are similar to what is occurring in Korean politics. The principle supporters of the Republican Celebration occur to resemble these of Korea’s conservative ruling Individuals Energy Celebration. They are typically older males who represent Korea’s mainstream drive. Alternatively, the profile of the US Democratic Celebration’s followers is similar to that of Korea’s Democratic Celebration. They are typically youthful ladies and fewer privileged teams.

As Korea turns into extra multicultural with new immigrants, even the immigration-related divide and debate will get stronger in Korea, albeit to a a lot lesser diploma than within the US. For instance, a current plan to construct an Islamic mosque within the southern metropolis of Daegu invited indignant protests from Christians and different conservative political forces.

However mockingly, the shut alignment between the 2 events of the US and Korea takes an reverse kind relating to international coverage. The US and Korean Democratic Events, that are completely aligned when it comes to home financial or social insurance policies, diverge extensively when coping with worldwide affairs.

The US Democratic Celebration extremely values worldwide cooperation and alliances in addition to an lively US position in world governance, in a stark opposition to President Trump’s isolationist propensity. However Korea’s Democratic Celebration seeks a extra unbiased, if not isolationist, international coverage, whereas the Individuals Energy Celebration locations extra emphasis on alliances and partnerships, significantly with the US and Japan, for a better Korean position in worldwide affairs.

These alignments and divergences between the 2 international locations’ political events are a results of a shifting political surroundings at residence and overseas. The US Democratic Celebration, for instance, has lengthy opposed free worldwide commerce offers, such because the North American Free Commerce Settlement, within the title of defending US staff. However extra not too long ago, it lessened such opposition and embraced extra world commerce in a pushback in opposition to the Republican Celebration’s protectionist transfer below President Trump.

However one may also hint the political divisiveness of the US and Korea to their political establishments. Their two-party presidential system appears far more damaging than multi-party or cupboard techniques of Europe the place power-sharing is widespread, even amongst adversaries. For that cause, there may be an growing voice in each international locations for a real multiparty system. At present, Korea does have a couple of political events, however in the long run, smaller events one way or the other disappear or get swallowed by the 2 predominant events.

In the intervening time, a basic change within the political techniques of the US and Korea appears extremely unlikely. Which means their folks should put up with the ugliness of their politics and elections for a while to come back. Worse but, the ugliness will certainly get greater as their societies develop into more and more polarized. The previous few US presidential elections clearly show that. Every election has develop into nastier and uglier than the earlier one. Sadly, that’s precisely what is occurring in Korea too.

Lee Byung-jong

Lee Byung-jong is a former Seoul correspondent for Newsweek, The Related Press and Bloomberg Information. He’s a professor on the College of World Service at Sookmyung Ladies’s College in Seoul. The views expressed listed here are the author’s personal. — Ed.