Understanding Korea’s Next Generation of Leaders
Asia Society conference "Korea's Next Generation of Leaders"

Dr. Nae-Young Lee
Professor of Political Science at Korea University, South Korea

Washington, D.C., January 26, 2005

Recent years have seen a shift in the political landscape of the Republic of Korea, with the 2003 election of Roh Moo-hyun as President and his Uri party as the majority party in Parliament. This was not only a change to new leaders and a new party, but to a new generation as well.

On January 26, 9 prominent observers of the current Korean scene spoke at a conference on Korea’s Next Generation of Leaders. The Honorable Thomas Hubbard, former Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, gave the keynote speech. Other speakers included Chaibong Hahm, Professor, Yonsei University and Director, Division of Social Sciences, Research and Policy, UNESCO; Sook-jong Lee, Visiting Scholar, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University; Kongdan Oh, Research Staff Member, Institute for Defense Analyses; David Steinberg, Distinguished Professor and Director of Asian Studies, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University; Scott Snyder, Senior Associate, Pacific Forum CSIS/The Asia Foundation; William Watts, President, Potomac Associates; Don Oberdorfer, Distinguished Journalist in Residence and Adjunct Professor, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University, and Nae-Young Lee, Professor of Political Science, Korea University.

Nae-Young Lee opened the program with a brief but comprehensive graphic presentation demonstrating major changes in Korean politics related to the rise to prominence of a younger generation of voters and of political leaders. He examines specific attitudes of this generation of 20 to 30 year olds relating to domestic politics, North-South relations and US-ROK relations. He argues that this generational shift to a more liberal orientation has weakened regionalism and created new ideological competition. It has also created conflict between younger and older generations regarding attitudes toward both North Korea and the United States, and it has led to declining support for the established parties, possibly encouraging new political alignments.

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