The whole world is paying attention to the US presidential election due to the recent assassination attempt on Republican candidate Trump and the replacement of the Democratic candidate. Since candidate Trump has declared that he will meet North Korean Kim Jong-un again, it is only natural for Korea to pay attention to the results of the US presidential election.
At the same time, elections in major countries also show noteworthy results. In the French general election held for a week starting on June 30, the ruling party fell to the second largest party in the National Assembly, while the New Popular Front, a pan-left coalition, became the first party and the far-right National Rally became the third largest party with only a 25-seat gap between the ruling party.
The results of the French general election were first and foremost a judgment by the people on the French government’s ruling party. Still, more fundamentally, they showed the changing reality of France. The Macron government, fell below the world’s top 20 in GDP calculated by purchasing power. Furthermore, as protests continued, anxiety about social security increased.
No leader who can lead rational conservatism has emerged in this economically and socially unstable situation. No leadership can absorb the extreme right and moderate left, like former Presidents de Gaulle and Chirac. In addition, the problem of the long-standing right-wing government allowed the new left-wing coalition to become the majority party in the National Assembly.
A bigger change than France occurred in the UK. The Labour Party won a landslide victory in the general election held in early July, resulting in a change of government for the first time in 14 years. The Labour Party won 412 seats, or 63% of the total, while the Conservative Party’s seats fell below 20%.
The Conservative Party’s defeat was expected due to the economic downturn caused by Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit), the overall deterioration of public goods including public health, and the increase in immigrants. However, no one could have predicted such a crushing defeat. The Labour Party is faced with the difficult task of simultaneously pursuing conflicting policies of expanding public goods and resolving the refugee issue while recovering the economy.
The changes in France and the UK seem distant to Korea. However, the changes in Britain and France, the two axes of NATO, the alliance with the strongest military power, have significant implications for Korea. In both countries, the defeat of the ruling party will strengthen economic security within their countries. This is in line with Japan’s recent efforts to enhance financial security. However, such economic security will likely clash if Trump is elected in the United States.
In addition, it is noteworthy that social division is deepening as support for extreme political forces grows. This may be a result that was expected due to the spread of neoliberalism since the 1980s. However, we cannot just sit back and do nothing. The polarization of domestic politics causes conflict in foreign politics. World War II was a representative example.
The election results in Britain and France show that the foundations on which rational politicians can stand are gradually disappearing, and Korean society is no different. In a society of unlimited competition, we need to think about social integration and the reconstruction of public goods. These domestic and international changes also have important implications for the future social role of the church.
