PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL CHUNG DONG-YOUNG: CONTENDER

UNCLAS SEOUL 000333 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KS PGOV PINR PREL SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL CHUNG DONG-YOUNG: CONTENDER OR ALSO-RAN? ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Following the American model of celebrity turned politician, former news anchor Chung Dong-young enjoyed rising star status as one of the founders of the Uri Party, a close ally of Roh Moo-hyun, and a Minister of Unification who met with Kim Jong-il. Soon after Chung's historic meeting, however, the Uri Party started to lose favor with the Korean public, and after it suffered a resounding defeat in the May 31, 2006 local elections, Chung took responsibility, resigned as Uri chair, and went into seclusion in Germany for four months. Now back in the spotlight, Chung held an energetic rally January 21 to launch his presidential campaign. Known for his emphasis on reform, Chung has been vocal in support of an inter-Korean summit this year. Although his current rank in all major polls is low (fourth according to January 30 Donga Ilbo Newspaper's poll with a 3.3 percent approval rating),some pundits believe he could pose a strong challenge to the opposition candidate as the candidate from a new reform party that is likely to coalesce this summer. -------------- PORTRAIT OF THE POLITICIAN AS A YOUNG MAN -------------- ¶2. (U) Chung Dong-young hails from the historically disadvantaged province of North Jeolla. His father died while Chung was in high school but he managed to gain acceptance at Seoul National University, the country's top university. In 1973, during college, he was jailed for his involvement with the Alliance of Democratic Youth and Students during an anti-government struggle. He met his current chief policy advisor, Kyung hee University International Relations professor Kwon Manhak in the police station and they have been close friends ever since. ¶3. (U) Even before he graduated in 1979 with a BA in Korean history, he began a nearly 20-year career as a reporter and widely popular news anchor for MBC, which was interrupted by his graduate studies at the University of Wales, where he earned an MA in Journalism in 1987. His tenure at MBC included a four-year stint as special correspondent in Los Angeles from 1989-1993. -------------- -- CHUNG ENTERS POLITICS AND BECOMES A RISING STAR -------------- -- ¶4. (U) Chung entered politics when he was first elected to the National Assembly in 1996, and he maintained his seat in the 2000 parliamentary elections. He ran on the New Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) ticket, based partly on his close alliance with Kim Dae-jung (DJ). In 2002 he ran against and was defeated by Roh Moo-hyun in the presidential primaries, but actually emerged from the competition as a close ally of Roh's. Chung, in speeches, highlights the fact that he ran in 2002 until the end and that he will never give up in fighting for the Korean people. Roh asked him to serve as co-chairman of his election campaign and later, upon becoming president, appointed him as special envoy to Davos in February 2003, where he met with then Secretary of State Powell. ¶5. (U) In September 2003, Chung, along with President Roh, Kim Geun-tae, and others, left the MDP to break the old paradigm of politics and founded the Uri Party. Chung became its first chairman in 2004 and is largely credited with leading Uri to victory over the conservative Grand National Party in the April 2004 general elections. Two months later, he was appointed Minister of Unification and Chairman of the National Security Council and served in this role until December 2005. His high point was meeting with Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang on June 17, 2005, which was the highest level North-South contact since the historic June 2000 Pyongyang Summit between Kim Jong-il and DJ. It was after this meeting that North Korea announced it would return to the Six-Party Talks after a more than year-long boycott. In Chung's introductory film, played at his campaign launch, the meeting with Kim Jong-il is highlighted more than any other event. Prof. Kwon told POLOFF that Chung is highlighting this event to distinguish himself from Lee Myung-bak, who is highlighting economic issues currently in his campaign. -------------- THE STAR SOON FALLS -------------- ¶5. (U) However, it wasn't long before Chung fell from grace. After the Uri Party was soundly defeated in the May 31, 2006 local elections--which was widely seen as a referendum on Roh's performance as president--Chung took responsibility and stepped down as party chair. Chung immediately left the political scene in Korea, spending almost five months in Germany studying the German unification model, writing, and meeting with officials there. He returned to Korea around November 2006 and began making the rounds, including a meeting with the Ambassador. -------------- BID FOR THE PRESIDENCY -------------- ¶6. (U) In late December, shortly after President Roh gave his now famous speech where he criticized Chung (among others), Uri chair Kim Geun-tae and Chung announced they would leave the Uri Party to form a new political party. As of February 1, six lawmakers have formally left the Uri Party (one of whom, Chung Duk-koo, also resigned, since he was a proportional representative),and the party's future is in question. However, Chung has promised that he won't leave the party until after the Uri's February 14 National Convention. ¶7. (SBU) On January 21, Chung held a high-energy rally to kick off his presidential bid. The event featured a dozen prominent National Assembly members and attracted about 2,000 supporters, all visually synchronized in orange t-shirts. The rally, which was geared toward young and "ordinary" voters, emphasized that he is a candidate for all regions; to symbolize this, children brought dirt and water from all over the country, which they poured into a Jeju orange tree. The event also featured testimonials from people such as a North Korean defector who talked about his hopes for reunification, a homemaker who supported Chung's vision for educational reform, and a businessman who discussed how Lee Myung-bak brought difficulties for his company in Seoul. Later, however, Rep. Chun Yu-ok (GNP) criticized Chung for having children sing a song that supported the abrogation of National Security Law, something that Chung has long advocated. ¶8. (SBU) Although Chung benefited slightly when Goh Kun decided to leave the presidential race on January 16, picking up some of the Jeolla-region voters who would have voted for former Jeolla governor Goh, he still ranks fourth in the polls with a 3.3 approval rate according to a poll by the Donga Ilbo published January 30. -------------- HIS POLICIES AND HIS ADVISORS -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Chung is sometimes characterized as a "rebel" because of his political tendency to challenge the status quo. His reputation may have begun as a reporter, who when told not to report on certain stories, would go ahead and report them anyway. Chung claims that his motivation for joining politics was to "change the government." In 2000, he challenged the old guard by calling for Kwon No-gap, then one of the most senior members of the MDP, to step back from party affairs. Kwon ended up doing this, which eventually led to the weakening of the "old majority" of the MDP. ¶10. (SBU) Given his former position as Minister of Unification, it is perhaps not surprising that Chung focuses much of his attention on North Korea. Chung has stressed the need for inter-Korean dialogue to convince the DPRK to give up its nuclear program. He strongly advocates an inter-Korean summit, saying in an interview, "National interest is the best security. So rather than just looking to Pyongyang or Washington, we should be doing what we can. Of course, to that end, top on the list is an inter-Korean summit." When he met the Ambassador on December 16, 2006, Chung stressed the need for the U.S. and ROK to work closely to implement the Joint Statement and to strengthen the U.S.-ROK alliance. ¶11. (SBU) On the domestic economy, Chung thinks the government's focus should be on helping the middle class prosper. He believes Korea should shift from a brick-and-mortar economy to one based on software, since the development-driven economy of the 1970s and 80s -- which put the ultimate value on the market -- is no longer a valid model anymore. ¶12. (U) Some of Chung's advisors include: - Rep. Park Myung-kwang, who is also president of Nara Vision Research Institute, Chung's de facto campaign office - Kwon Manhak, Economics Professor at Kyunghee University and Director of Nara Institute - Song Kwan-jo, Professor at Kunkook University - Lee Jae-kyung, Research Chief, Nara Institute (political and public affairs issues) - Kim Yeon-chul, Professor at Korea University - Hong Hyun-ik, Senior Researcher at the Sejong Institute - Yoon Young-kwan, Professor at Seoul National University (former Foreign Minister) - Rhyu Keun-wan, Professor at Seoul National University - Chung Kap-young, Professor at Yonsei University (economic issues) -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶13. (SBU) While some pundits think Chung can not make a strong challenge for the presidency because he is inextricably linked with President Roh and the failure of the Uri Party, others believe that Chung has a strong chance of winning because Koreans strongly desire reform, and he is the most electable of the non-GNP candidates. Although he barely registers in the current polls, in dynamic Korea so much can change in more than 10 months, the eloquent and photogenic Chung can not be written off. VERSHBOW