#72 A Good Election

[스티븐스 대사]

Greetings, netizens.  Some of you may be wondering why I am writing a blog entitled, “A Good Election.”  You may be thinking, “A foreigner, and especially a foreign ambassador, should stay out of another country’s politics.”  And you would be right.  So let me assure you:  I am not writing to express a view on the results of the recent local election in Korea, except to say that I value and respect the right of voters to choose their leaders – whether in Korea or the United States.  This is fundamental to our democracies.

People waiting in line to vote for the June 2 local elections

So what do I mean by “a good election?”  Well, these things come to mind:  Energetic candidates with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints.  Exciting rallies that were colorful and enthusiastic.  Lots of media interest.  A minimum of personal attack and scandal.  Impressive voter turn-out which included, importantly, young Koreans, but also a Korean voter born in 1887 and other centenarians, as well as the disabled (who were assisted to the polling stations by local emergency personnel), and naturalized Koreans.  Creative use of newer communication technologies to spark interest and turnout.  An efficient, transparent vote count.  And, despite some hotly contested seats and the very narrow margin of victory in several races, universal acceptance of the legitimacy and results of the election.

I have witnessed many elections throughout the world in my thirty-plus years as a diplomat, including Korea’s dramatic 1987 presidential election.  I have lived in countries where citizens’ desire to choose their leaders with their own votes was thwarted.  In the United States, our own political history includes elections that fell short of the expected standard. 

That’s why I regard so highly Korea’s most recent election.  It is critical to the future of our democracies that the next generation continues to value and use their access to the ballot box.  I recall when my son was in high school he hated getting up in the morning.  But on a cold November morning in 2004 he rose with alacrity at 5 am, and we walked from our home near Washington, D.C. to a local middle school where he cast his first vote for a U.S. President, and he wore to school that day a pin given to him by the election official that said “I voted.”  I thought of that moment on Wednesday as I heard of young people throughout Korea exchanging text messages encouraging each other to vote.  How wonderful.  It is not my business who they voted for, but I am very glad they cared enough to vote. This augurs well for Korea and for the future of the relationship between our two democratic countries. 

 

[Peace_Maker]

I think the government did an excellent job in encouraging people to vote. They reminded us that we should vote to make our lives more peaceful and our river cleaner.

[교과서]

심은경 대사님 참으로 사려 깊은 분인가봅니다. 우리들은 같은 날 투표를 하고도 느끼지 못한 나눔의 정신을 당신께서 느끼신 것이 놀랍습니다. 역시 지도자는 아무나 하는 것이 아닌가봅니다. 저는 갈등과 패배만 남지 않았나 하는 생각에 섭섭한 투표라고 생각했지만 그처럼 미래가 촉망되는 투표였군요. 일단 감사드립니다.