VIEWS FROM ASIA Considering the Politics of East Asia: South Korea and Taiwan By Shiraishi Takashi HIS past March, a presidential who support the Roh administration “3” referring to the fact that they turned T election was held in Taiwan, and gained a stable majority. As a result, it 30 in the 1990s, “8” to their attending the incumbent president, Chen Shui- is becoming a real issue whether the university in the 1980s and “6” to their bian, and vice-president, Annette Lu of National Security Law will be changed birth in the 1960s. This generation has the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the National Assembly. This law not experienced Japanese control as a narrowly defeated Lien Chan, chairman was passed in August 1948, three colony or the Korean War of 1950-53. of the opposition Kuomintang Party months after South Korea was estab- What they have experienced is economic (KMT), and James Soong, chairman of lished, and it treats North Korea as an development under the authoritarian the People First Party (PFP), as a presi- “anti-State group,” establishing severe leader Park Chung-hee and the student dential and vice-presidential candidate punishments – including the death movement opposing oppressive political respectively. The difference in the votes penalty – for those who break the law. rule in the 1980s. As a consequence, received was just over 29,000, with the It is this law which has been used as a they take peace and prosperity as a nat- winner gaining a minuscule 0.22% vic- tool by successive military administra- ural course of events; maintain doubts tory. tions in South Korea to suppress demo- about the emphasis on economic growth The South Korean National Assembly cratic movements. For example, former held by their forebears; deny the asser- elections were held in April. Procedures President Kim Dae-jung was charged tion of authority based on academic for the impeachment of President Roh under this law regarding the Kwangju cliques, local power bases and elder Moo-hyun were passed by the National Incident of 1980, and under its regula- statesmen symbolized by the “Three- Assembly – a historical first – and Roh tions he was once sentenced to death. Kims” Politics; and turn their backs on was prohibited from carrying out any A revision of the National Security Law the nationalism of the older generation. duties, so the elections took place under therefore signifies that democratization What do they seek from politics? unprecedented conditions. In that is making further advances in South What is important regarding their rise to sense, the election turned into a vote of Korea. power is how South Korean nationalism confidence on Roh. Of the National Second, through this election, the so- will be expressed in the coming period Assembly’s 299 total seats, the opposi- called “Three Kims” era – referring to and what kind of role South Korea will tion Uri Party made a dramatic leap Kim Dae-jung, Kim Young-sam and play internationally. Three major fac- from 49 seats to a majority of 152 seats, Kim Chong-p’il – has come to an end. tors can be pointed out. First is the ten- while the Grand National Party (GNP) This is powerfully underlined by the fact dency, in contrast with their parents’ which had held 137 seats fell to second that although Kim Chong-p’il (United generation, to see North Korea not as an place with 121 seats. In addition, the Liberal Democrats) was listed as the top “enemy” but rather as “family,” and in new leftist Democratic Labour Party of the list of candidates for a seat in the regard to America they seek a relation- (DLP) took 10 seats. For the first time proportional representation contingent, ship based not on protection and sup- since the establishment of the country in he failed to win his ten successive elec- port but on equality. The second factor 1948, the national legislature was no tion. is friendliness toward China. For exam- longer controlled by conservative forces Third, there has been a generational ple, 63% of the Uri Party members who but by the progressives (the Uri Party) change in the National Assembly. Of were elected said that China should be and a leftist party. those 299 who won seats in this elec- seen as the most significant nation both What tendencies are observable from tion, 89 incumbents accounted for diplomatically and commercially. the elections in South Korea and 29.8%, while the 187 first-time elected (Compared to this figure, those who Taiwan? members accounted for 62.5%. mentioned America amounted to 26% Let us first consider the case of South Particularly within the Uri Party, which and those who mentioned Japan Korea. The opposition GNP, hoping to won 152 seats, 71.7% (109 seats) went amounted to no more than 2%.) Third take full advantage of the “powerful to first-timers. In terms of their age is the hard-line attitude toward Japan medicine” of Roh’s impeachment, groups, the 30 to 50-year-old group regarding such issues as the Prime invited resistance from the electorate, accounted for 250 members (83.3%) – Minister’s visits to Yasukuni Shrine and and the governing Uri Party gained the 23 in their 30s (7.5%), 106 in their 40s history textbooks. position of the top political party. In (35.4%) and 121 in their 50s (40.4%). To sum up, the “Generation 386” can regard to the significance of this elec- Frequently pointed out as an under- be seen as moving strongly toward tion, three points are generally made. current for such change is the increasing nationalism. However, that nationalism First, in the election the progressives prominence of the “Generation 386” – has not yet taken a clear new form. 38 JAPAN SPOTLIGHT • September / October 2004 VIEWS FROM ASIA Photo: REUTERS • SUN Therefore, while it welcomes democrati- zation on the one hand, it is China- friendly and anti-American, and now, half a century after the end of Japan’s colonization of Korea, there are issues with Japan regarding the burying of the past. However, South Korea already boasts the world’s 11th largest economy and is one of the world’s few military states. It is now up to this generation to determine an appropriate international role for their country. In Taiwan as well, the problem of nationalism is of great concern. It is quite evident that the greatest factor in the victory of Chen Shiu-bian and Annette Lu was the upsurge of the sense of identity of the Taiwanese. In fact, had it not been for this rise in Taiwanese consciousness, Chen, in comparison with the elections of 2000, would not have succeeded in garnering approxi- mately 1.5 million votes – some 10.8%. What is the significance of this? Facing one another across the Taiwan Strait are two nations bearing the name South Korean soldiers remove loudspeakers set up for propaganda purposes near the demilitarized zone “China” as part of their official name*, and while there is a great disparity in ing inroads on the mainland. It is format and reform the National their attitudes toward political relations, impossible to reverse this trend, and Assembly, probably resulting in a reor- for over 30 years they have managed to even if it did happen, it may lead to a ganization of the state. If such a new avoid military conflict. Wakabayashi severe crisis in the Taiwanese economy. constitutional structure were to be estab- Masahiro, a prominent researcher on Within this major trend, what will lished, the unification faction would lose Taiwan, refers to the maintenance of happen in Taiwanese politics in the power in the national legislature in the this condition as the “1972 regime,” and years to come? As is regularly pointed near future and the Republic of China says that the premises upon which this out, the major keys are a public referen- would become de facto independent set-up is based are gradually disappear- dum and an amendment of the Taiwan without having to be renamed ing. (“A Moment of Truth” in Ronza, Constitution. The referendum, which “Republic of Taiwan.” May 2004) There are two major reasons was held at the same time as the presi- From this perspective, in the relation- for this. dential election, did not obtain the ship between China and Taiwan, it is One of these, quite naturally, is the required voting rate of 50%, so the ref- clear that Taiwan is in an advantageous rise of Taiwanese nationalism seeking erendum was not approved. However, position. China’s “one country two sys- “independence.” Riding the wave of if it were approved, and if the citizens tems” formula as a means of unifying this nationalism, Chen managed to win were asked whether they hoped that the two has already collapsed. All China re-election in the presidential race. Taiwan would become a special admin- can do is “wait.” The issue is the Further, this nationalism will probably istrative region within the People’s Taiwanese people’s sense of balance, and increase in strength among the younger Republic of China in a “one nation two like the “Generation 386” in South generation. The second reason is the systems” organization, almost everyone Korea, it remains to be seen what new expansion and deepening of the eco- in Taiwan would in all likelihood vote form a mature nationalism will take. nomic ties between China and Taiwan. against this. In that sense, the referen- As a result of this, at present, out of dum is a significant means of grasping Shiraishi Takashi is a professor at the Taiwan’s population of 22 million, over the feelings of Taiwan’s people.