A Win for South Korea's 'Bulldozer'

Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007 By BILL POWELL / SEOUL

Lee Myung-Bak celebrates his presidential win with supporters at his party's headquarters in Seoul, December 19, 2007

Lee Myung Bak is known as the "Bulldozer," and he earned his nickname in an era when South Korea made the extraordinary seem almost routine. Two decades ago, when Lee was running Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co., the country made a bloodless transition from an authoritarian dictatorship to democracy, hosted a successful Summer Olympics, and repeatedly racked up annual economic growth of eight per cent or more, creating Korea's own economic miracle. On Wednesday, a nation pining for those days of hyperfast growth elected Lee President in a landslide, giving him about 48 per cent of the vote in a field of 10 candidates. Addressing his supporters at the Grand National Party's headquarters after his victory, the President-elect declared flatly, "I will revive the endangered national economy."

Korea, at least the South, is a poorly touted phenomenon. In general the line between democracy and confuscianism can be hard to see in Asia. Leaving aside the neo-imperial government of China, Japan has had essentially no cahnge in leadership since WWII. Taiwan is an exciting place, but the overhang from the panda bear next door makes it hard to see a future for these brave folks.

In contrast, S. Korea despite a great incentive to move toward some form of totalitarianism ahs developed a very impressive democracy. I wonder wheher the foot dragging Beijingese negotiators for the N. Lorea issue are so laggardly because China may see mor eof a threat ion the Korean peninsula that ot faces anywhere else.