Talking with reporters Tuesday, outgoing Seoul mayor Lee Myung-bak suggested that it might be premature for a woman to become president of Korea. Asked about the possibility of a woman assuming the highest office in the land, Lee said, “It could depend on whether the nation is stable or in a period of crisis. In the United States, it still seems the dominant opinion is that it’s premature for a woman to become president.”
I’m sure his fellow GNP member and potential presidential candidate Park Geun-hye will appreciate that.
He also told reporters that he can’t understand why Hyundai Motor’s union is striking, and that the inheritance tax must be lowered.



12 Comments
South Korea is quite conservative, but a woman in charge would be a welcome change. My fear is that she would be totally ineffective as a leader having to deal with a male dominated society.
–Remort
This guy is going to sink himself before he has even started. I want a deck chair so that I can enjoy watching him go down.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s not Pavlovian that Koreans have to reference the United States constantly. I don’t think the U.S. is ready for a lot of things that Korea is or could be. When there have been many other nations with female leaders, who cares whether or not there has been a female U.S. president?
Female state leaders in other countries don’t command over such a bandwith of power like a female Korean president would do. Only democratic states like the US or France come to my mind, where presidents can have some kind of “imperial” rule over cabinet and armed forces - in Korea it’s nearly unrestricted by law.
Does anybody want a girl sitting in the Blue House, while KJI drops his trousers to show off his Taepodong? Koreans are conservative to the bones, I can’t imagine that they’d acccept a female leader as their commander-in-chief.
Fifteen years ago Seotaiji couldn’t appear on MBC with long dyed hair. Harisu’s public acceptance would have been unthinkable. Ajosshis marrying Uzbeks, Filipinas, and Vietnamese women in large numbers would have been thought heresy against the nation.
If KJI were to exhibit his microscopic gochu it might be good to have a woman in the Blue House to laugh at him.
Whatever you think of her, Park Geun-hye is still very much a contender according to the polls.
It’s a (slim) possibility we might see a Hillary vs. Condi race in the US in 2008, why not Park Geun-Hye in SK? Couldn’t possibly be worse than having the Roh-nothings in charge.
He just lost millions of vote from other side.
And there will be protests by civic and women-rights groups.
You got a point, but this is all related to men, really, even a man sans dickie like Harisu. It’s still very much one-sided…
Name one female leader that was a success? No gochu, no job!
railwaycharm
Hm, it’s difficult to objectively define “success”… anyhow, let’s see:
Elisabeth I. of England, Catherine the Great of Russia, Maggie Thatcher?
Sugar Shin, you are right, cheap shot, shame on me.