Lee Myung-bak, the candidate of the conservative Grand National Party, won a significant electoral victory in South Korea’s presidential poll yesterday.  The elections were free and fair, though turnout was relatively low (about 63%), and Lee captured about 48.7 % of the vote, which gave him a historically high 22.6 or so percentage point lead over his nearest rival.

     He is described as a pragmatist with ethical issues.  Vowing to ramp up the country’s economic growth, he faces an investigation into manipulating stocks of a company, BBK, he founded.  As one voter, interviewed by the NYT, said:

“I voted for Lee Myung-bak even though I think he’s a little corrupt,”
said Kim Cho-rong, 21, a college student studying interior design. “I
figured someone who is a little guilty but competent was better for our
society than someone who is innocent but incompetent.”

     And perhaps, given the messy world of politics, that’s OK.  But one thing we can say about Lee’s election is that it would likely draw a frown from Confucius.

      This thought comes to me as I read lines like this, from the Marmot’s Hole:

The election of Lee Myung-bak (assuming it survives the ongoing BBK
investigation) is break from the ideologically-driven politics of
Korea’s past. His campaign has explicitly said that “economic
considerations must receive higher priority than political
considerations.”

     Giving so much priority to economic issues, especially in the relatively well off South Korea (something like the 13th richest country in the world), strays from the path of the Master.  Think about this man-on-the-street comment from the WaPo:

"No one is absolutely clean when you strip-search successful and
wealthy businessmen in Korea," said Ahn Jae-woo, 54, an insurance
executive who voted for Lee early today before going Christmas shopping
with his family in a Seoul mall. "This election is not about ethical
issues, it’s about who is really capable of making Korea prosperous."

      It’s all about "prosperity," making people richer, allowing them to live more comfortable lives.  Forget the ethics.   Now, I will not criticize Koreans for making that choice.  It’s perfectly understandable, especially coming after a president, Roh Moo-hyun, who overplayed the political ethics card and let the economy sag.  But, whatever we think of Lee’s victory, it is not in keeping with Confucianism.

      This passage from the Analects seems to speak directly to not only Lee himself but to Korea voters in general:

The Master said: “Wealth and position –
that’s what people want. But if you
enjoy wealth and position without following Way, you’ll never dwell at
ease. Poverty and obscurity – that’s what
people despise. And if you endure
poverty and obscurity without following the Way, you’ll never get free.

“If you ignore Humanity, how will you gain
praise and renown? The noble-minded
don’t forget Humanity for a single moment, not even in the crush of confusion
and desperation.”  Analects 4.5

     Even when times are bad, even when the economy is growing slower than it might, you can’t forget the ethics, you can’t ignore Humanity.

     Confucius would not have voted for Lee.