한국 정치 초고

[UNGP]

 While South Korea is going to hold the general election on April 10, there are growing turmoils among the country's politicians. And fatigue is setting in, as Koreans have seen those turmoils for too long. Those who failed to get endorsement denounce former colleagues and join the other party; there are growing conflicts between the old-powers and the new-powers; endorsement largely relies on the head of the party. All this highlights the chronic problem of Korean politics : cronyism 

 Croynism can be easily found in Korean politics, regardless of political ideology. The history of cronyism traces back to the very beginning of Korean politics. Lee Seung-man, the first president of the country, appointed his closest ally Lee Gi-bung as Vice President. The country's military dictators - including Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan who shared power only with their subordinates - were solid examples of cronysim. Those who fought for liberal democracy were not an exception. Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung, former presidents of Korea and prominent activists in democracy, are one of the most notable examples of cronysim, as they even had factions named after the streets they lived in. The negative side effects of cronysim have become especially severe ahead of elections, as endorsement from the party is crucial to the country's politicians. Too often, this turns into ideological polarization at the dangerous level.

 To solve the problem, the first thing that the politicians should do is to put emphasis on national interests, rather than ideology or their own interests. What Roh Moo-hyun, former president of South Korea, did is a case in point. Even though he was a leftist, he aligned with conservatives on many issues. While most of his supporters strongly opposed the Free Trade Agreement with the U.S., he signed the agreement due to his belif that it would help strengthen the Korean economy. Although the public opinion was strongly against his decision, he sent the Korean troops to Iraq during the Iraq war to enhance relationship with the U.S. To be sure, he was not free from cronyism, either. He also surrendered himself with people whom he can trust. But he always put national interests first at crucial moments, even though it meant that he could lose support from his own circle. Many agree that former president Roh Moo-hyun did a lot to ease the chronic conflicts in Korean society. What he had shown at juncture contributed to this reputation.

 Today, Korean politicians should follow suit. They must make decisions based on issues, not on ideologies or their own political interests. Both liberal and conservatives should be able to show that they can work with the other for good reason. Cronysim might be unavoidable, but politicians should focus on what's important for the nation, even though this means that they might lose support from their factions or political allies. 

[송정현]

역사적 사실 (이승만 대통령과 고노무현 대통령님의 사례) 이 풍부한 글인 것 같습니다. 특히 현재 정치의 고질적인 문제를 이승만 대통령 때로 거슬러 올라가서 말씀하신 점이 돋보였습니다. 다만 노무현 대통령님의 업적에 대한 설명은 조금 줄이시고 "계파갈등"에 대해 조금 더 배경설명을 보충해주고 해결방안을 뚜렷히 제시하면 좋을 것 같습니다. 정치인들이 자신의 이익보다 국익을 우선시해야 한다라는 메세지에는 동의하나 과연 어떻게 라는 의문이 들게 됩니다. 해서 정치인 개개인의 태도에 기대하기보다는 시스템적으로 개선이 되야하지 않나라는 생각이 듭니다.

[우지원]

잘 읽었습니다. 정보값이 풍부한 글인 것 같습니다. 과거 대통령과 관련 내용에 대해 많이 알고 계시다고 느껴지는 글이었습니다. 2문단에서 croynism 에 대해 설명해주셨는데 3문단에서 해결방안으로 더 엮어서 설명해주시면 좋을 것 같습니다. 2,3문단에서 제시해주신 주장으로 현재 계파 갈등을 어떻게 풀어나갈 건지도 결론에서 조금 설명해주시면 좋을 거 같습니다. 고생하셨습니다!