Will woman CEO aide help or hurt Rep. Park?

Kim Sung-joo

Kim Sung-joo, who recently joined the election team of Park Geun-hye, the ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate, was criticized Monday over her view of the economy and women’s issues.

Rep. Park is said to have recruited Kim, a successful and some say eccentric businesswoman, to balance out her own icy image and win support from young female voters.

Shin Yul, a noted political science professor at Myongji University, raised questions over Kim’s economic vision. “The concept of warm-hearted capitalism emphasizing co-existence and cooperation has emerged as a significant issue. But what she has been talking about is far from this idea,” he told The Korea Times.

The professor said Kim’s view on conglomerates, or “chaebol,” may fail to strike a chord with voters seeking a “democratization” of the Korean economy.

The 55-year-old chairwoman and CEO of the Sungjoo Group, a maker of high-end handbags, said Monday that “economic democratization” should not be mandated.

The conglomerates “emerged under government-led efforts to develop the nation’s economy after the Korean War,” she said. “They played an important role as a trade window to do business with the world economy. They have helped the Korean economy globally.”

“It is inappropriate to set the democratization of economy forcibly. The government has to create an atmosphere in which chaebol can conduct business by themselves. Anti-business policies are retrogressive.”

Shin said the stance could cause friction in the Saenuri Party, pointing to recent strife between Kim Jong-in, a chief strategist in charge of economic and social campaign pledges, and Rep. Lee Hahn-koo, the floor leader. Kim called for curbing corporate greed, whereas Rep. Lee said conglomerates are not the subjects to be regulated. The conflict resulted in Kim leaving the party for five days calling for Lee’s resignation, then coming back following persuasion from Park.

“Her attitude on the economy could extend internal conflicts regarding democratization of economy,” Shin said. “Although she called herself as a ‘limousine leftist,’ she hasn’t given any evidence (for being progressive).”

Following the criticism, Cho Yoon-sun, a spokeswoman for Park’s election camp, said in a briefing that “Kim’s comments, that anti-business economic democratization is retrogressive, were targeting the opposition candidates’ economy policies, not Park’s.”

Shin also criticized for controversial remarks on women by Kim, who said that “women tend to cry and run away whenever they meet hardship.”

“Park Geun-hye will have to express her stance on these remarks,” Shin said, adding that failure to do so could drag on Park’s numbers among women.

Kim said she willed herself to success after being cut off by her wealthy family for refusing an arranged marriage.

“There is no reason for me to degrade women,” she said, addressing her controversial remarks. “It was just a personal confession I made to say that women have to be stronger to succeed, after I experienced what it takes to run a business.” <The Korea Times/Jun Ji-hye>

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