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The odd-sounding titles for the presidential couple arose against the backdrop of political instability and authoritarianism in the 1980s. Chun rose to power through a military coup, weeks after former President Park Chung-hee was assassinated in October 1979 by his own security chief, Kim Jae-gyu, the director of the KCIA. To maintain the presidency and power they had seized, Chun and his aides relied on censorship of the media, especially with regards to TV.
Every night, prime-time news started with the news show hosts' narration of the news headlines, beginning with, "Today, President Chun…" Most of the time, Chun dominated the top news; hence his nickname, "Mr. Today." The stories that followed were about his wife. They usually began with, "Meanwhile, first lady Lee…" It's thus pretty easy to see how she got the nickname, "Mrs. Meanwhile."
Such sarcastic nicknames that college students gave the authoritarian couple are the byproducts of Korea's dark past. They are the relics of daily life in a dictatorship.
While following the stories of President Moon Jae-in's first meeting with President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol after their initial one-on-one meeting was cancelled earlier this month, I felt that there seemed to be a similarity between what happened in the 1980s and now, and that this similarity is something inherent to the nature of political power itself, rather than a reflection of the maturity of a nation's political system.
I think the two cases are both triggered by human nature that seeks attention from others. College students' derisive nicknaming of the presidential couple in the early 1980s offers a clue for rulers who constantly seek attention from the public, as they like to be covered extensively by the media. I think the brief strained relationship between outgoing President Moon and incoming President-elect Yoon, which continued until their meeting took place, in what Yoon's chief of staff described was a "a cordial atmosphere" on Monday, is also a reflection of that human desire that drives them to want to be at the center of attention.
In a country like Korea, where the balance of power is tipped in favor of the president in relation to the legislature and judiciary branches, it is easier for the president to grab attention from citizens. Depending on their personality traits, some presidents seem to like the idea of living a life in the public eye, while others do not. But one thing that I am certain of is that five years are long enough to train those who are in the top job of government to feel comfortable about living a public life.
A seismic change seems to occur in the public's incessant attention to those who are in power when a new leader is elected. With the media frenzy suddenly shifting to the president-elect, the outgoing president is reminded of the chilling reality that his or her days in the top job are numbered. With the clock ticking toward the end of their presidency, they feel the fleetingness of life and know that their time as president will be over one day.
Around the time when the president-elect's Presidential Transition Committee kicks off, replacing the nation's epicenter of breaking news, Cheong Wa Dae becomes "as quiet as a temple" as elder Koreans might say to refer to an awkward silence that comes after something has passed its peak, because of power rapidly shifting from Cheong Wa Dae to the transition team.
The period of presidential transition is the perfect time for the sitting president to prepare for a farewell to his fellow citizens. Instead of being concerned about or fretting over the president-elect or his transition team's domination of the news headlines, I think that a wise leader should accept that his or her time in the much-coveted position will eventually end.
There was a time when the sitting president was at the center of the world. But those old days are gone, as the successor gears up to ascend to the throne.
Just like the outgoing president, the next president will realize the same thing when his term ends five years later: time flies. When your term ends, it's the successor's turn to shine. I think it's absurd if you try to steal the show and regain the public's attention. It will soon be their time, not yours.
The writer (hkang@koreatimes.co.kr) is politics and city editor of The Korea Times.
