Left Flank

The Liberty Forward Party (LFP)'s spokesperson's colorful title quote speaks for itself. The progressive United Democratic Party added, 'pours cold water on the people's expectation'. The Hankyoreh mocks, «This is what they call yong do sa mi, a big beginning that leads to a weak conclusion» and warns, «Insufficient reshuffle could lead to bigger crisis».

President Lee needs to give some deep thought as to what personnel reform means in this unprecedented political crisis. The people were more interested in the political choices Lee would make through a Cabinet shuffle than in the change of a couple of ministers. Through the political act of a Cabinet shuffle they wanted to see a changed president. The changes he has made to his Cabinet, however, make his intentions clear. He is going to abandon the approach of making it appear like he was suddenly going to accept their demands, and from now on push ahead with the style of running government he has had from the start. He will not be able to quiet public anger that way. It is worrisome, rather, because it looks like it will only accelerate the government's political crisis.

In short, the current political impasse starting with American beef and broadening into a diffuse condemnation of the government could deepen into legislative trench warfare.

President Lee Myung-bak's statements from the G-8 summit confirm the Hankyoreh's skepticism.» 'I think we should revise the goals. But I'd like to cultivate our country's potential so that we can attain the original goals.'

Who knew there were so many ways to flip the bird in Korean?

The policy positions of the three conservative groups converge on most issues. Their intense battle over power and influence is unlikely to have much effect on foreign policy. Pro-Park lawmakers and the LFP are hesitant to offer blanket support for free trade agreements, since liberalisation of the agricultural and livestock sectors would significantly affect their constituencies,which include many rural districts. But the president controls foreign policy and the inter-Korea policy agenda, and his conservative rivals tend to agree with his views in these areas, so he can expect support unless he completely alienates the National Assembly and the public.

This is as ICG interprets the 2007 election results. We might as well consider President Lee as impeached already.

I can't agree more:

I think the very fact that English education is an issue in the election shows just how ludicrous Korea's fixation on learning English has become.

The craze to learn English in the ROK has little to do with fluency in a globalized world, and more to do with South Koreans competing against each other in a rigid market and social system.

A few years of naively plodding work in the South Korean TESOL field is followed by the desperate need for a second career. This was supposed to be the year I smoothly transitioned from my university's F-2 extra government bonus status to a new career in think tanks and non-profits. OK, it's been a dull, uneventful thud on the depressing way down on the job search these past months, but listening to these political plots to reform the TESOL business adds extra urgency to the instinct to flee.

I do recall in high school, that I had a choice between four foreign languages.

But, this is not the point: both the frustrated employee and the presidential candidates avoid facing how miserable the job market is. It's not just that the public educational system needs dire reform, but where would a South Korean work? In the handful of large corporations? There's not enough of an employment sector to support a better educated population. And, more importantly, both the education and corporate sector are not designed to support full employment. Crush the dumb and resourceless, and promote the well-connected, the unionized, and the best test-takers!