A North Korean Runs in a Real Election

The Daily NK introduces us to North Korean defector Lee Ae Ran, who represents another step forward in the development of a class of post-Kim Jong Il leaders for North Korea.

“I know it is laughable that a North Korean defector is running for a seat in the South Korean National Assembly,” the candidate admitted during a phone interview with Daily NK on March 28. She added, “In North Korea, if you come from a bad family background, there is nothing you can do about it. However, things are different in South Korea because it is a free, democratic country. [Daily NK]

It must be a clarifying experience to have lived in a totalitarian system. I wonder how many South Koreans really appreciate the blessings of a free society today. Ms. Lee would bring knowledge into the government that would benefit South Korea’s decision-making on issues that are about to become much more pressing.

The candidate said she entered the race because she felt a sense of duty to those who have defected and have been displaced from North Korea, and because of her commitment to national security issues. Lee Ae Ran said she knows North Korea very well and has some ideas about how to provide humanitarian assistance to North Korea. Moreover, Lee stressed that she is the person who can best understand the concerns of those displaced from North Korea and knows how to formulate policies for them.

Would it be wrong of me to say that Ms. Lee also looks damn good for 44?  Well, she does.

The news isn’t  as good  for another defector candidate, Yun Seun-Gil, failed to win his  nomination race. Let’s hope, nonethless, that more North Koreans will  participate in and shape Korean democracy.  Their  perspective will be good for the quality of South Korea’s response to the most important issues that lie ahead for all Koreans.