NEW YORK -- Politics in Japan and South Korea are a study in contrasts. It is nearly impossible to identify the polic differences between Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Democrats. In South Korea, on the other hand, the ruling Uri Party, which now controls both the presidency and the congress, and the opposition Grand National Party disagree on just about everything, whether it involves domestic affairs or foreign policy. In a way, South Korean politics today are reminiscent of the polarized politics of Japan in the 1960s, when political society was sharply divided into antagonistic conservative and progressive camps.
This kind of political competition is new to South Korea so it is little wonder that some people, especially the conservative elite that have been accustomed to having power, are alarmed by the turn of events. There are deep differences between the contending forces in South Korean politics today over economic policy, how to deal with North Korea, and how to manage the country's alliance with the United States. There is a sharp generational divide in political attitudes, with the younger generations supporting the progressives and the older ones the conservatives -- another echo of Japan's political past, and significant class-based antagonisms. Governing effectively in such a political environment obviously is not an easy task.
The most important story to be told about South Korean politics today is not about the problems President Roh Moo Hyun faces in governing a fractious polity, however. The far more important story is about the rapid progress South Korea is making in strengthening its political democracy.