문건영이 만난 대선주자 시리즈: 당당한 서민 대통령 #2 홍준표
Hong Joon-pyo, presidential nominee for Liberty Korea Party running in South Korea's 2017 presidential election, thank you for squeezing time out of your busy campaigning schedule.
You've been a politician for over two decades now. Why is it now that you're running for the presidency? Why not before? Why do you feel ready for the top office now?
The Republic of Korea is currently in total chaos;
from politics, economy, society, culture,
and diplomacy to national defense.
In order to restore stability
and lead the nation forward, we need strong leadership.
The times call for a president with strong determination
and conviction.
This is the reason I am running for President.
From an objective point of you, you're not running an easy race here. For a whole host of reasons in this nation at the moment, polls show it is very likely that the country will elect a left-wing president in May 9. You are - most would agree with me - You are the most conservative candidate in this year's race. Are you confident that you will win?
South Korea has a relatively shorter history
of party politics compared to the United States.
Political parties in South Korea
generally last no longer than five years;
a government turnover defines
a change in leadership, not a change of political parties.
When there was a power transfer
from the Lee Myung-bak to Park Geun-hye administration,
Park government wasn't acting
as the second Lee administration.
It was a completely new government.
In that vein, the new Hong Joon-pyo government
will be an entirely different administration
from that of Park's.
Therefore, a government turnover in South Korea
is equivalent to a change in leadership.
The Korean peninsula at the moment is under international radar. There's been a rapid escalation of tensions in this part of the world. Continuous provocations by the North Korean regime. What is your policy vis-a-vis Pyongyang?
For the past 20 years,
South Korea has been committed to resolving
inter-Korean tensions through diplomacy
such as the six-party denuclearization talks.
There hasn't been any progress.
During the 20 years of South Korea's diplomatic efforts,
North Korea was focused on developing nuclear weapons.
The amount of money sent to North Korea
over the ten years of Kim Dae-jung
and Roh Moon-hyun administrations tops US$ 7 billion.
