[19th Presidential Election] And the lucky number is..?

The things that we do most subconsciously depict the way we are cognitively wired. And on many occasions, it is our connotative messages that actually work to get our message across. Counting on our fingers is one of the most common things we do absent-mindedly. Only one who had never been able to use their fingers before would consider the way in which they formed a 3 or an 8.

Dactylonomy (finger + counting) is the act of counting numbers with one’s fingers. People of different cultures—oftentimes, nationalities—differ in the way they count. For the typical Chinese person, a 6 is shown on one hand by leaving the thumb and pinky up and the three fingers in the middle facing down. And while most indicate a “1” by raising their index finger, one from Japan would fold in the thumb to represent the same.

In particular, Koreans usually count their numbers like this (1 to 5):

Interestingly enough, contrary to the typical dactylonomy used in Korea, Moon Jae-in and Ahn Cheol-soo, the frontrunners in the 19^th presidential race—have found alternate ways to signify their ballot number.

In Joongang Ilbo’s April 25^th issue, the cover photo was of each candidate’s hand holding up their numbers: Moon Jae-in (1), Hong Jun-pyo (2), Ahn Cheol-su (3), Yoo Seung-min (4), Sim Sang-jung (5). As pictured, Moon and Ahn each vied for different finger forms with Moon’s “1” corresponding to the “good job” finger and Ahn’s an “ok” sign. One can easily understand the tactic here.

As with most cultures, each number comes with a particular meaning. In the case of Korea, “one” denotes happiness because it is considered the “blessed” number. “Two” means cooperation and “three” is for harmony and peace. “Four” and “five” refer to completeness and abundance, respectively.

Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party is truly blessed to be at number one with his increasing popularity. Though his main rival, Ahn Cheol-su (People’s Party) is faltering in numbers, Moon continues to win the favor of the young and middle-age sectors, making him the top contender for the nation’s highest office.

Despite the meaning of “two” being cooperation, Liberty Korea Party candidate Hong Jun-pyo is often associated with a lack thereof. Previous sexist remarks such as, “How can I wash dishes? I don’t even know how to open a rice pot and cook instant noodles…That’s the way of nature. Men have their own jobs and women have their own jobs” (Korea Times) do not enhance Hong’s cooperation with many of his voters but discourage communication efforts. It is needless to say that his past scandal of helping a college friend rape a female student did more damage to an already wavering example of cooperation.

Ahn Cheol-su of the People’s Party, rather than promoting harmony, is festering discord within the presidential campaign. When asked about specific policy plans, Ahn decided instead to pick a fight with Moon by asking that Moon apologize for his campaign members who bad-mouthed Ahn. “Do you really think I’m (former President) Lee Myung-bak’s avatar?” was the question that drove the internet to frenzy as commentators called Ahn out for being immature.

The still new Bareun Party’s Yoon Seung-min continues to push for a more complete conservative branch in Korea. Composed of mainly anti-Park members from the former Saenuri Party, Bareun Party officials’ vision is to unite scattered conservatives still under the Park Geun-hye shock.

Sim Sang-jung creates an abundant liberal sector for those who fear Moon and Ahn of being cautiously centrist. Being the Justice Party’s representative, Sim fearlessly challenges the policies of the front contenders creating a wholesome environment for the debate floor.

Come May 9, the South Korea public will choose their new President. At this point, it is still anyone’s game although Moon remains the likely candidate. Time will tell of the effectiveness of their ballot number: whether the good “one” and the ok “three” attracted more votes. Meanwhile, additional debates will take place on the 25^th and 28^th of April and May 2^nd.

-By Seo Eui-mi, reporter for The AsiaN