Who’s top speaker?

Park direct, Moon well spoken, Ahn complex

All three presidential candidates have their style of speaking, which experts say could make a decisive difference in the Dec. 19 election.

Choi Jin, president of the Seoul-based think tank Institute of Presidential Leadership, said, “Rep. Park Geun-hye of the ruling Saenuri Party uses the right words and her message is clear. She prefers brief sentences instead of going around in circles, and answers briefly and directly.”

“But she rarely provides context and this leaves her audience scratching their heads afterwards trying to figure out what she meant with the message she delivered.”

Ahn Cheol-soo, a software millionaire who declared an independent candidacy, uses words that sound fascinating, but his speech is not audience-friendly, either, the presidential leadership expert said.

“Ahn prefers indirect communication. He contacts his people via email, not phone. He unveiled his positions on major policy areas through a book, an example showing his preference for indirect communication with the public.”

Choi pointed out that Rep. Moon Jae-in of the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP), a lawyer-turned-politician, is eloquent.

“Moon makes a case in an effective manner. But his speech is not inspiring because it lacks a strong message.”

Hahm Sung-deuk, a professor of Korea University, suggested negotiation and managerial skills, and foreign policy experience as key leadership elements for the next president.

Hahm called incumbent President Lee Myung-bak and his predecessor the late President Roh Moo-hyun the two worst examples, both having demonstrated poor negotiating skills.

The political scientist said all three candidates, Park, Moon and Ahn, revealed their vulnerability in these and communication skills.

The winner of the December election will assume the top job amid a global power shift featuring the waning of America and the rise of China and a distinct U.S.-China rivalry in East Asia.

The emergence of East Asia as the hottest region will require the next president to have a deeper understanding of what’s going on here and how the government should react to the security and trade environment, Hahm noted.

“Candidates who have extensive foreign policy experience will benefit under the circumstances. Among the three, Park is most eligible in this regard because she has visited several countries as a presidential envoy,” Hahm said.

Park served as an acting first lady for nearly five years after her mother, Yook Yung-soo, was assassinated in August 1974 while President Park Chung-hee was in power. During the period, the daughter of the late President paid visits to foreign countries and met foreign leaders in that capacity.

She also visited China, the Netherlands, Greece and Portugal as a presidential envoy of President Lee.

Choi described Park as a field commander with a heavily armored vehicle referring to Park’s lineup of aides and campaign strategists with stellar resumes.

Park’s tough image came from her decisive role in saving the then troubled Saenuri Party mired in corruption scandals earlier this year by achieving a dramatic win in the April 11 National Assembly elections.

Ahn is a listener, Choi said.

“He listens carefully to his audience before offering them pieces of advice. He achieved a lot but rarely showed off his accomplishments. This makes him special.”

“Instead, Ahn tries to give the right solution to his audience after listening to their side of the story on unemployment and other sufferings facing the younger generation. He has done this a lot during his nationwide tour to universities for lectures over the past years.”

Ahn went to Seoul National University Medical School and obtained a degree in medical science. He founded a start-up business in 1995 after he developed the first local anti-virus vaccine, dubbed V3, and then left the company in 2005 to study business administration in the U.S.

He is vulnerable to criticism that his leadership and managerial skills as a politician have not been tested, Choi said.

Hahm said Moon is better than his two rivals in terms of unifying efforts as he endeavored to embrace his opponents from within his camp.

“Moon tries to avoid placing his confidants and aides in key posts for his campaign. This is in stark contrast with what Park has done. Her aides were always the first choice for key posts in her campaign,” the political scientist said.

After winning the DUP primary, Moon, a former presidential chief of staff to the late President Roh Moo-hyun, met his primary rivals to encourage them to team up with him.

Moon seeks to include his opponents in his camp under the slogan of a “melting pot campaign.”

He appointed Chung Dong-young, a former DUP presidential candidate of the 2007 presidential election, as the person handling his North Korea vision. This drew the attention because Moon was not on good terms with Chung years ago as the two were not on the same page over the late Roh’s legacy. <The Korea Times/Kang Hyun-kyung>

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