Tasks Before South Korea's Leader

The presidential campaign season has officially begun in South Korea.

- WANG SON-TAEK

With both major party candidates confirmed or being selected, Korea will be in an election frenzy for the next month or so. In such a short campaign period, it is natural for both sides to concentrate all their resources on victory. However, this election is heavily overshadowed by Yoon Suk Yeol's illegal and unconstitutional martial law declaration on December 3.

The actual campaign period is only about one month. There will be no transition team. Given these conditions, the new president will be burdened with running the country without much transition time. Therefore, it is meaningful to check what major national tasks the new Korean president should pursue immediately after taking office.

The most urgent task is to normalize the nation, which is experiencing a serious impact from the insurrection led by Yoon on December 3. An urgent response is needed in the political sphere, especially regarding the operation of the democratic system. The fact that an insurrection broke out is a very serious case of failure in the operation of South Korean democracy. Only when efforts are made to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents, including the punishment of those involved, will the possibility of such incidents be reduced. The government should detect and punish those who indirectly participated in or openly sympathized with the insurrection.