South Korea Awaits Election Day Results
S E O U L, S O U T H K O R E A, April 15, 2004 -- Today is a beautiful spring day here — but for South Korea's political leaders, it's full of anticipation and dread.
In the last month, politics in the country have been shaken by a series of events and revelations that put an added emphasis on this contest.
And with voters casting their ballots, 299 of South Korea's assemblymen are waiting to hear the mandate from their fellow citizens.
Election Day is a national holiday, allowing people ample time to head to the polls, but analysts and party officials have expressed worry all week that the holiday would have just the opposite effect.
Rather than vote, they say, vacation-starved Koreans would choose to spend the day outside or head to one of the country's many national parks for a four-day weekend.
On the Outside
In Yeouido Park, just three hundred yards from where the country's National Assembly meets, thousands of people have gathered to enjoy the sunny and cool spring afternoon.
Parents are helping their kids pilot bicycles, young couples are stumbling around on rollerblades and men are crowding onto five basketball courts for pick-up games.
But on the sidelines of a friendly round of hoops, 28-year-old banker William Jun says he hasn't voted today and doesn't expect many of the other 20-somethings on the court to have voted either.
"Younger people in Korea want to see the country get better, but they're not interested in politics," explains Jun, a tall, lanky man sporting protective goggles and working up a good sweat from the game and the heat.
Jun adds that he registered outside of the city and was therefore unable to vote in Seoul. "People want to be outside, enjoying the holiday."
Gathering Political Storm
There are more than 35 million registered voters in South Korea and they all have a lot at stake.
In the past weeks they've seen their president impeached, their troops ship off to Iraq, revelations about North Korea's alleged nuclear capability and a visit from U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney to discuss the status of the 40,000 American soldiers stationed throughout South Korea.
Yet it was the impeachment of President Moo-hyun Roh that embarrassed many of the country's voters.
On March 12, assemblymen ousted Roh — a move that turned the floor of the National Assembly into a scrum as representatives physically restrained each other from addressing the Assembly.
Protests followed, fires burned outside the building and U.S. soldiers in the region were repeatedly warned to avoid public parks and political gatherings.
Roh was impeached for allegedly violating a campaigning law forbidding a president from endorsing candidates or political parties in the National Assembly.
Despite the backlash that followed, the progressive Uri Party, which Roh is accused of endorsing, stands to gain a majority of seats. But a near-last-minute scandal could cost the group heavily.
Last week, the Uri Party's chairman publicly said that older citizens should stay home to rest rather than go to the polls. He has since resigned, but the mishap led to a surge in support for rival Grand National Party.
In the end, local political analysts predict that turnout by age group will be the determining factor in this election.
Back in Yeouido Park, the political storm seems not to really bother the many who were picnicking or simply enjoying the greenery and flowers.
Still, 31-year-old Iksoo Eum took some time out of rollerblading to say it's essential that everyone do their part. "It's difficult to explain, for there are many reasons, but this election is very important to us," Eum says. "Voting is not difficult and I hope more people my age do it."