(EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on Nov. 27)

Seeds for new politics
Local chiefs experiment with inclusive government

Korean politics is associated more with words like defiance, confrontation and deadlock than with negotiation, concession and compromise. This is one of the reasons the public has little confidence in politicians.

One recent case that exposed the deep illness of Korean politics was the partisan standoff over the special Sewol bill, which paralyzed the National Assembly for more than five months.

While politics at the national level is still defined by partisan fighting and all-or-nothing -- rather than give and take -- approaches, some local politicians are sowing seeds of change, raising hopes that Korean politics may become more inclusive.

The seeds are being planted in Gyeonggi, Jeju and Seoul, where reform-minded chief administrators are promoting bipartisan cooperation, even pursuing inclusive governance, which is very rare in Korean politics.

On Monday, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon held a "policy coordination meeting" with a group of lawmakers from the rival ruling party, including Rep. Na Kyung-won, whom he defeated in the 2011 mayoral by-election.

Although the two sides did not reach a major policy agreement, the meeting between the mayor from the liberal opposition party and lawmakers from the conservative ruling party provided a stage for, as Na put it, "resolving conflicts and differences through dialogue and communication."

While in Seoul the results have been limited to nonbinding policy consultations, a more concrete form of bipartisanship has been achieved in Gyeonggi Province, with Gov. Nam Kyung-pil experimenting with what can be called an inclusive government or even a loose form of coalition government.

Since his election in June, Nam has been striving to promote bipartisanship in running the local government. The conservative governor has offered the seat of the vice governor for social integration to the liberal opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy.

Then on Monday, NPAD members of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council elected a former lawmaker to take the post offered by Nam.

It was the first time ever that a governor or mayor has given a top post in his or her government to a member of the rival party. Nam also deserves praise for granting the vice governor, Lee Ki-woo, the right to oversee health care, welfare, environmental and women's affairs and six organizations affiliated with the provincial government. Put simply, Lee will not be a nominal vice governor.

Moreover, the governor and the opposition party have agreed to form a joint body, consisting of five members from each side, to discuss major policies.

It is also encouraging that Nam is not the only local politician pursuing this kind of inclusive government. Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong, who had appointed his election rival, Shin Koo-bum from the NPAD, as his transition chief, has also offered the post of Jeju City mayor to an opposition member.

Of course, there are some detractors. They say that all three -- Park, Nam and Won -- are potential presidential candidates and that they are trying to improve their public image by promoting bipartisanship.

Some also point out, in the case of Nam, that the governor is trying to overcome his legislative handicap -- the Gyeonggi council is controlled by the NPAD -- and ensure that his government operates smoothly.

Both Nam and Won have even faced criticism from their own parties. For instance, Saenuri members of the Jeju Provincial Council oppose Won's proposal to form a "joint governing body" with the opposition, while Nam has encountered criticism from his party over his concession on the issue of free school lunches.

Park, Nam and Won may encounter more challenges and hurdles in their efforts to change politics. But what the pioneers are doing to make Korean politics more inclusive and based more firmly on dialogue and compromise should be cheered on.
(END)