In Korean politics, there have been unfortunate cases of the country's top leaders going into exile or getting jailed and fined for corruption.
Its first president, Syngman Rhee, had to leave the country for Hawaii after the April 19, 1960, Revolution which led to the downfall of his authoritarian regime. President Park Chung-hee was assassinated by his close confidant in 1979 after his 18-year dictatorial rule.
President Chun Doo-hwan was sentenced to death on charges of treason and corruption by a district court in 1996 which acknowledged his role in a military coup after Park's assassination and the bloody suppression of the May 18, 1980, pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju. An appeal's court commuted his death penalty to life imprisonment plus 220 billion won ($168 million) in fines.
Chun's successor, President Roh Tae-woo, was also sentenced to life imprisonment on similar charges. Then the appeal's court reduced his sentence to a 17-year jail term plus 262 billion won in fines. Both Chun and Roh were pardoned in 1997.
President Roh Moo-hyun committed suicide in 2009, about one year after his retirement, in the face of an investigation by prosecutors over allegations that he took bribes from a businessman while in office.
President Lee Myung-bak is serving a 17-year jail term after he was convicted of bribery and embezzlement. He was also ordered to pay 13 billion won in fines. His successor, Park Geun-hye, who was impeached for corruption and abuse of power in March 2017, was sentenced to 20 years in prison plus 18 billion won in fines. Park was pardoned last year.
It is true that the political culture in Korea makes it difficult for presidents and other political bigwigs to keep their integrity without being implicated in any corruption scandal. However, Korea is not a unique case, and in many democratic countries of Asia, similar and sometimes more shocking corruption cases involving politicians could be seen.
In Korea, many corruption cases could be seen in the context of the so-called "vendetta politics" which is very deep-rooted. When leaders of conservative and liberal parties assume power, it is often said that they try to target opposition politicians to hold them accountable for corruption and other wrongdoings.
Actually, corruption investigations have become a tool for a legitimacy war by digging up dirt on previous leaders.
"Vendetta politics" is not limited to a particular leader or a political party and it could be witnessed in Korean society which is divided on ideological, regional, generational and other fault lines. The way people have been protesting everyday near former President Moon's house in a small village without having any legal case so far against him is symbolic of a deep sense of "revenge."
Actually, a large part of the support for Yoon Suk-yeol as the presidential candidate from the People Power Party (PPP) was driven by the "sense of vendetta" in society.
Supporters of the PPP and its leaders apparently thought that the PPP needs a leader who could take "revenge" because two of the previous presidents, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, were sentenced to a jail term due to the conspiracy of their opponents.
So, despite many capable leaders in the PPP, Yoon was preferred to be the presidential candidate of the party. Actually, Yoon had little political experience and he joined politics after resigning as prosecutor general without serving out his two-year term, just few months before the PPP's primary began to elect its presidential candidate.
Even though he was appointed by then President Moon to the post of top prosecutor, supporters of the conservative party reposed faith in him because he took on the same administration.
Soon after coming to office, Yoon's approval rating has gone down substantially and people are concerned about his future moves. This could lead him to be more vindictive toward his predecessor Moon and the core member of his administration.
Already, the image of Korean democracy has been hampered by such previous incidents. And if "vendetta politics" continues under the new administration, it would further malign Korean politics.
Korean politics, which has a glorious history of pro-democracy movements, a culture of nonviolent contests in the political space and having a responsible government, should not be defaced by the politics of "vendetta."
Korean people and culture are respected across the globe and the country's miraculous economic success are admired and imitated by many countries. The democratic political process in Korea must also show more maturity.
All the stakeholders of Korean politics must try to break this vicious cycle and look for a forward-looking politics. There should not be a smear campaign against retired leaders to gain mileage in the current politics and all the Koreans must think about the image of the country. The rectification should come from the society as their sentiments and choice are reflected in the political parties and leadership.
Rather than trying to punish retired leaders, the energy must be spent on creating institutions and processes which don't allow political leaders to use foul means to reach at the highest office of the country and even if they are at the top hierarchy, their wrongdoings, if any, could be overseen and action on them could be taken.
Actually Korean people have shown that they can make a successful economy through their hard work together and it is absolutely possible to have faith in them. I hope they would create a mechanism through which "vendetta politics" could end to make Korea an exemplary democracy.
The author (sandipmishra10@gmail.com) is associate professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. The views expressed in the above article are the author's own and do not reflect the editorial direction of The Korea Times.