Justifiable narratives: The rise and fall of family politicians in South Korea

Abstract

Like other Asian democracies, family politics is not unknown to South Korea. The triumph of Park Geun–hye, daughter of former authoritarian ruler Park Chung–hee, in the 2012 presidential election was in particular interpreted as a precursor of ‘dynastization’ in Korean politics. Nevertheless, up to the present day, political families in South Korea have been significantly less successful in securing offices through electoral competition than their Asian counterparts. Using extensive evidence from statistical and documentary sources, I argue the following: First, South Korean family politicians are more likely to face unfavorable popular sentiment towards their candidacies in elections than family politicians in other Asian democracies. Second, in addition to inheriting their predecessors' political advantages, they are required to enhance their own electoral appeal by properly justifying that their electoral participation is compatible with popular demands for meritocracy and procedural fairness. This argument highlighting politico–cultural requirements, or what I call justifiable narratives, for dynastic succession is empirically supported by case studies of four South Korean family politicians.

Who Leads? Who Follows? Exploring Agenda Setting by Media, Social Bots and Public in the Discussion of the 2022 South Korean Presidential Election

“…While the most common means of the battle between the two factions is political liquidation. In South Korea, the power of the president is almost absolute, but due to the differences in political interests, ideas, and camps, once the president loses power, it will attract the “liquidation” of the new president (Park, 2023). The Kim Young-sam government, which first took power after democratization, carried out political liquidation of two former presidents, Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, who symbolized military dictatorship.…”