Anti-elite backlash rocks Seoul politics
Anti-elite backlash rocks Seoul politicsBy Steven Borowiec
SEOUL - Recent moves ahead of the Seoul mayoral election suggest the South Korean electorate is looking beyond the main parties for appealing candidates.
Traditional parties are struggling to find solutions to problems concerning the public, such as rising inequality, unemployment and corruption among elites.
In Seoul, the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has for the first time in its 50-year history failed to field a candidate for the mayoral poll, to be held on October 24. Park Won-soon, a well-known civic activist and independent, beat out Park Young-sun of the DP for the candidacy.
This trend may soon appear on the national level. Software tycoon
Ahn Cheol-soo has in recent months risen to the point where he is one of South Korea's most popular public figures. Ahn was widely rumored to running for mayor but dropped out to support Park Won-soon. It is likely that Ahn chose to support his fellow independent because he is hoping Park returns the favor at next December's presidential election.
In early October opinion polls, Park received 45.6%, with Grand National Party (GNP) candidate Na Kyung-won on 37.2%
A high number of tech-savvy youth delegates helped Park secure nomination, which relied on the direct support of voters, not party members. There are signs that South Korean voters are looking for representation that is fresh and different, not in the old partisan tradition.
The country's most popular politician, Park Geun-hye, though a member of the GNP, has a profile and appeal that transcends party politics.
Anti Consumer Backlash - News
and Neil MacFarquhar from the United Nations. A version of this article appeared in print on October 5, 2011, on page A4 of the New York edition with the headline: .
South Korea's family-owned conglomerates, or chaebols, are facing increased public resentment as their profits soar amid increasing consumer prices and rising household debts. As the plunge in South Korea's financial markets in September and early
Beyond the angry backlash from AT&T and T-Mobile, the lawsuit has infuriated Obama's political base – especially organized labor – just as he is struggling to mend fences with these core supporters. The Communications Workers of America in particular
Check the web for consumer reaction to BofA's $5 fee and you'll find an avalanche of scornful, angry and derisive comments. Just about everyone with a keyboard is taking shots at America's biggest bank, and every online article includes dozens — if
The Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG), which is made up of ISPs, email providers, and security vendors including AT&T, Cisco, McAfee, Facebook, and Verizon, sees the federal effort as unnecessary and redundant, and is balking at the idea of
Credit unions reap reward of backlash against big banks « Clearly ...
In reality it’s a phenomenon that’s already in motion. Many credit unions around the country have seen an uptick in the opening of accounts. Laura Cowan, a spokesperson with the New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union, whose membership already stands at 150,000, said that in recent weeks, “We have definitely seen a rise in the number of accounts being opened.