SOUTH KOREA:South Korea is beset by mudslinging and little talk of policies as its voters get set to go to the polls this side of Christmas, writes Anna Fifield
South Koreans head to the polls in two weeks to choose a successor to President Roh Moo-hyun amid disappointment over his failure to deliver reforms.
Mr Roh, who cannot run for a second term, was elected five years ago on reformist promises. But he is now widely viewed to have failed to institute significant change and faces a backlash.
Fears over the state of South Korea's economy and what some see as its declining growth potential have shaped up as a central issue ahead of the December 19th poll. "Over the past five years, Korea has underperformed neighbouring economies," says Lim Ji-won, an economist at JPMorgan in Seoul.
"Although headline growth is around its potential, people aren't feeling any improvement."
Democracy, introduced in 1987, remains immature - entrenched interests remain influential, parties come and go at each election and fist fights are still commonplace in the national assembly.
With only a fortnight to go, the political landscape remains fluid, with some of the original 12 candidates dropping out to throw their weight behind stronger contenders. The official 21-day campaign has so far also been light on policy debate.
"It's all allegation, character assassination and innuendo," says Shim Jae-hoon, a veteran political commentator who calls this election noisy even by Korean standards.
Previous elections in South Korea suggest opinion polls cannot be wholly relied on because people change their views quickly. Amid fears that Korea's growth potential is declining, the economy is shaping up to be the central issue on December 19th and it appears clear that after five years of Mr Roh, Koreans are looking for more forceful leadership.
Lee Myung-bak, the frontrunner and a former businessman representing the conservative opposition Grand National party, is promoting himself as a strong leader who will put the economy back on track, cutting corporate tax rates, deregulating and slimming down government. His campaign has been weighed down by a financial scandal centring around Kim Kyung-joon, a former business partner, who says they together owned a now-bankrupt investment firm, BBK, and benefited from a financial scam. Lee Myung-bak denies any involvement and the prosecution is set to announce the results of its investigation today.
His lead has been further threatened by the return of Lee Hoi-chang, an arch-conservative who has returned for a third shot at the presidency. Lee Hoi-chang was the last of the candidates to register and has been even slower to detail any policies, instead capitalising on his reputation as a hardliner who favours a tough stance towards North Korea. This has earned him the labels "war maniac" and "sycophantic traitor" from Pyongyang's state media.
But Lee Hoi-chang, with his elite background and education, is considered representative of old-style Korean politics and his reputation remains tarnished by charges of tax evasion and receiving illegal campaign funds although he was cleared of any wrongdoing. Furthermore, he is hamstrung by the fact his sons did not complete military service - a societal no-no that led to his downfall in previous elections.
Chung Dong-young, the progressive candidate and Mr Roh's ideological ally, is trailing in third place. While Mr Chung has little of the baggage that the conservative candidates carry, he has been weakened by his association with the government, analysts say.
Recent newspaper surveys show between 25 per cent and 35 per cent of voters undecided over who to support.