We want to see more of you

We want to see more of our leader-to-be as Park Geun-hye has made herself scarce, minimizing public appearances.

Keeping a low profile may help in some ways but doesn’t in others.

As the President-elect said, it enables the incumbent government to finish their business without distraction.

During previous changeovers, the outgoing governments complained that the incoming ones acted as if they were already in power before their term even started, calling them “occupation forces.”

For this, Park can be lauded for being considerate.

And although she has refrained from appearing in public, it doesn’t appear that she is in any way playing hooky. There is little doubt that she is in charge.

Her nomination Thursday of chief transition officer Kim Yong-joon as prime minister indicates a well thought out political move. The 75-year-old former judge has a clean record and is respected for overcoming a physical handicap. Few had expected Kim’s nomination and he will likely face few problems in his confirmation. Obviously, Park wants to make a flying start once she takes office on Feb. 25.

Opposition parties often extract concessions by bargaining with the new president in return for cooperating in the confirmation hearings of their top ministers. The chance for such a deal is significantly reduced now.

The president is also a politician and therefore being politically savvy is not a bad characteristic.

However, do we only need political savvy from our next leader?

True, we want a hard-working, smart president but that is only part of what we seek.

Above all, we want our leader to be close to us so we can be happy together, get angry with us, share sadness and jointly overcome challenges.

In order to lead, a president must do exactly that. A leader should have the people’s support that comes only when a head of state is identified with.

Especially at a time when Korea is at a crossroads and is dealing with a new set of challenges, Park needs popular backing more than ever before.

Her predecessors became objects of cynicism and derision for one characteristic or another with few finishing their term on a successful note. As the first woman president, Park can change this unbroken string of failures and set a new, successful precedent.

The only known formula for success is to be close to the people she is supposed to lead.

Park’s term has not even begun and, when it does on Feb. 25, she will hopefully turn out to be the people’s president. So seize the moment, Madam President-elect. <The Korea Times/Oh Young-jin>