Opinion | Democracy Korean style---revenge sweeter than K-drama

By Philip Yeung, university teacher

PKY480@gmail.com

A friend of mine, a smart lawyer with a sharp mind, wants an answer to this burning question: why did nearly all Korean presidents come to such a sorry Shakespearean end—from being jailed, assassinated, exiled and overthrown to committing suicide? Why is the K-presidency such a deadly curse? The answer may lie in Korea's revenge culture. 

Korean democracy is transplanted, not homegrown, even though it comes complete with US-style separation of powers in its three branches of government. But potent ingredients are added to the brew from its authoritarian past. For one thing, the brutality and bitterness of the Japanese colonial rule has left its soul deeply scarred, with the whole nation itching to get even with its former colonial master who has refused to apologize for its past atrocities. This toxic residue seeps into the Korean subconscious.  Unlike the West, electoral outcomes do not end the contest, in Korea, things come in cycles—the up-cycle and the down-cycle. Those on the up-cycle have things their way. Those on the down-cycle await their turn. This self-generating vicious circle is powerfully addictive to its players. Is this thirst for revenge fueled by the famous Korean revenge drama or is it simply a reflection of the embedded value? Of the 20 top-ranked Korean movies in the last 20 or so years, fully half are thematically rooted in revenge. To paraphrase a proverb, revenge is best served cold and Korean. The whole country is awash in this toxic idea. Vengeance is in vogue. Donald Trump, America's sorest loser, would be quite at home in Korea, with his loud and proud brand of retribution politics. Trump is a blond Korean in disguise. He must have been binge-watching high-octane K-dramas.  

Yoon, the current tenant of the presidential palace, is singularly unqualified for the post--- as the dumbest, thick-headed, self-seeking political outsider in history. But in his addiction to retribution, he is a typical Korean.  He made his mark as a chief prosecutor who had successfully put his predecessor behind bars. But that is hardly a presidential qualification. This political rookie lacks a sense of balance and a nuanced understanding of the entanglements of geopolitics. Suicidally, he massaged Japanese ego while poking China in the eye over Taiwan for no useful purpose. He prefers the "slap it or lick it" approach to the US-China diplomatic dance, swooning over America as his godfather. Now at the end of his rope, he has only two options left: either resign or be impeached. In desperation, he clutches at the last straw, doubling down on his anti-China antics to entice Uncle Sam to come to his rescue.  He blames his imposition of martial law on the need for anti-espionage legislation against so-called Chinese spies who allegedly targeted US and South Korean military facilities. This is a cheap trick to distract the Korean public and defuse their anger, but it won't save his skin or keep his financially wayward wife out of jail. It was a murky move to arrest and jail his political opponents. He is bad news for Korean stability and Asian peace.

Yoon is running out of time and out of options. Parliament has passed a motion barring him from leaving the country. Savor the irony! To escape as a fugitive, he needs a new face. His wife, a frequent patron of cosmetic surgery, can find him an expert with magic fingers to build him a new face. Unlike Assad of Syria who was welcomed to Moscow by Putin, no one will offer Yoon sanctuary. What awaits him is a role reversal—from ex-prosecutor to convict-to-be. The good thing is that it comes with a lifetime of free meals in a maximum-security prison. The bad thing is that there are no Bidens to grant him a presidential pardon--only angry crowds and revenge-seeking enemies baying for his blood. Even his scandal-plagued wife is rumored to be ditching him. Stay tuned for the riveting final act of the real-life revenge K-drama.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.

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