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Such difficulty is not the voters' fault. Rather, it stems from the questionable ability and ethical missteps of the candidates themselves. The two leading contenders are confronting allegations about corruption, abuse of power and other violations of the law. It is unprecedented for candidates to be facing an investigation while running for president.
Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), has been dogged by allegations that he was deeply involved in a corruption scandal surrounding a lucrative land development project in Seongnam City, south of Seoul, while serving as mayor.
Besides, Lee has recently ignited the public's rage over his wife's alleged use of government credit cards for her personal use, while he was serving as governor of Gyeonggi Province. She has also been under fire for having had a provincial official run daily errands for her.
Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential contender of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), does not appear to be any better either. He is under investigation over his alleged abuse of power while serving as prosecutor general. He also faces allegations that he made little effort to conduct a thorough investigation into an investment fund fraud case so as to allegedly protect suspects.
Yoon, once a member of an independent counsel office, was lauded for investigating and indicting former President Park Geun-hye who was impeached for her involvement in a massive corruption and abuse of power scandal. Since the inauguration of President Moon Jae-in in May 2017, Yoon had spearheaded an anti-corruption campaign aimed at eradicating the "accumulated evils" of the previous government.
However, Yoon clashed head on with the Moon government because he launched an investigation of Cho Kuk, Moon's confidant and pick for justice minister, over corruption and academic admissions fraud involving his family. He enjoyed people's support for his courageous probe into the Cho case which revealed the hypocrisy of the liberal ruling elite who boasted of their dubious moral high ground.
Now, Yoon, the presidential contender, is drawing criticism over allegations that his wife falsified her credentials when applying for a teaching job at various universities. She apologized for the falsification, but tainted her husband's reputation as an anti-corruption crusader.
Under these less than ideal circumstances, both contenders are in a neck-and-neck race, although Yoon has a slight lead over Lee in several opinion polls. Minor candidates such as People's Party candidate Ahn Cheol-soo and Justice Party candidate Sim Sang-jung are trailing far behind the leading two.
It is regrettable that the presidential race has been marred by a very negative campaign by Lee and Yoon. The rival candidates have continued to attack each other's moral integrity and credentials. This has led to the disappearance of high quality debates on policy proposals and future visions of the country for the public to consider.
What is notable is that voters are showing a higher degree of antipathy toward the candidates than in any other previous polls. It means that the two leading contenders have many faults, thus making voters struggle to choose between them.
Many voters complain that they cannot fully trust any candidate. So, voters say they will focus more on blocking candidates they dislike from winning the election than on selecting one they consider to be most qualified. Simply put, it is hard to find any contender who deserves sweeping support.
That is probably why Yoon's public support rate stands between 30 percent and 40 percent, despite most opinion polls showing that a majority of people favor a change of government. This trend may change on polling day. Yet it reflects voter's skepticism that no one can meet their aspiration for change whoever becomes the next president.
Against this backdrop, all of the candidates should do their best to win the people's trust before trying to win the election. To that end, they need to present broader proposals to restore democratic values and unite the nation which has been mired in ideological divisions between progressives and conservatives. They should refrain from resorting to populism and divisive tactics.
Voters, for their part, should make a wise decision to elect a new president who can promote fairness and justice which have been damaged under the Moon administration. Most of all, I hope that we will have a new leader who can make a change for the better and make the people happy.
The author (byb@koreatimes.co.kr) is the chief editorial writer of The Korea Times.
