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Abstract
This paper examines the role of gender and familial ties in Park Geun-Hye’s political trajectory to become the first female president of South Korea. Even though her entry into politics was heavily indebted to her kinship ties to her father Park Jung-Hee, an authoritarian leader who led South Korea from 1963 to 1979, she has consolidated her position within the party and among Korean voters as a viable, competent politician over the last fifteen years. Analyzing Korean news reports, campaign pamphlets, and her autobiography, this study reveals that Park used stereotypes of women as problem solvers in difficult times to open doors for her political entry. During the presidential campaign in 2012, Park was adept at stressing her positive “feminine” traits, overcoming the perceived weaknesses of female politicians by emphasizing her long political credentials and strengths in diplomacy and national security issues. Park presented herself as the embodiment of both change and experience through her campaign slogan “the well-prepared female president” and the public reacted favorably to the appeal.
Notes
1. In accordance with Korean naming convention, a family name of a person will be followed by a given name when referring to a Korean throughout this paper.
2. South Korea’s wartime operational control is under ROK–US Combined Forces Command. A four-star US general performs the commander-in-chief role and a Korean counterpart a deputy commander (United States Forces Korea Citation2014).
3. In South Korea, presidents appoint prime ministers and the appointment is subject to congressional approval. Prime ministers assist presidents and control cabinets following presidents’ orders, similar to vice presidents in other systems. In 2002, President Kim Daejung appointed Jang Sang as a prime minister, the first woman to get appointed to the office. However, the National Assembly did not confirm her, due to ethical issues revealed through the Congressional hearings. Han Myoung-Sook became South Korea’s first female prime minister in April 2006 as part of Roh Moo-Hyun’s administration. She served less than a year.