I will be on TBS eFM radio’s Prime Time at about 7:10 PM Korea Time (6:10 AM EST and 10:10 GMT) today to talk about the rise of Sohn Hak-kyu as the leading progress potential candidate for president and a scandal regarding restaurants buying their way onto TV eating shows.

There is a live feed.

I will put up the AOD when it is available.

UPDATE

Here are some of the points I discussed with host Henry Shin:

The rise of Sohn Hak-kyu

In the April 27 by-elections, the Democratic Party one two of the major seats up for grabs while the majority Grand National Party only managed to win one, with the forth seat going to the minor Democratic Labor Party.  The Korean political scene is still dealing with the repercussions of those elections, starting with rise of Sohn Hak-kyu, who bypassed Rhyu Si-min as the leading progressive candidate for president in public opinion surveys.

Polls taken since the April 27 by-elections show Democratic Party chair Sohn Hak-kyu catapulting to the top of the ratings among potential progressive candidates for the presidency.  Sohn’s current rise started in October of 2010 when he won election as chairman last year over Chung Dong-young and Chung Sye-kyun by winning 21 percent of the vote.

Sohn Assured cooperation of minor progressive parties in the by-elections by essentially giving away a National Assembly seat to the Democratic labor Party and making it possible for the People’s Participation Party to field a unity candidate in South Gyeongsang Province.  With his left flank protected, he reserved the one Democratic Party seat in Bundang for himself and  was able to win in that conservative district in a close election.

To hold on to his current edge, Sohn must overcome lingering mistrust from the more progressive wing of the Democratic Party while holding on to his image as a moderate.  That need for balance was on display in last week’s National Assembly vote on a free trade agreement with the European Union.  The Demcrats negotiated a compromise on the agreement with the conservative Grand National Party but ended up boycotting the final vote to pass the bill (it passed) after strong objections from smaller parties on the left.  Sohn is a former member of the GNP.

What are some potential pitfalls for Sohn ahead of next year’s presidential election?

There are several potential challengers who can rise to challenge Soh, such as Rhyu Si-min, Han Myeong-suk and Chung Dong-young, but each has serious flaws as a candidate. 

Fake reality TV

Shows in which celebrities scour the country looking for the best places to eat in Korea, have long been a favorite on Korean television.  A new documentary entitled 트루맛쇼 or “The True-Taste Show” has made a splash at the Jeonju International Film Festival, where it won an award.  The film opens with the line “I know why the food at restaurants introduced on TV isn’t that good” and proceeds to expose a system in which it is the owners of restaurants, rather than program producers, who take the lead in determining which restaurants are chosen to be presented on the shows.

The film’s director, Kim Jae-hwan, set up a restaurant and went about trying to get it featured on TV programs.  He discoverd a system in which it is the restaurant owners, rather than program producers, who are the driving force behind which restaurants are chosen to be featured on the shows.  Owners us ad agencies as a bridge between themsleves and program producers (that should be a hint that something is not right).  Some restaurant owners even pay 9 to 10 million won to be featured.