Park Geun-hye (centre) has launched a bid to become the first woman to lead South Korea.
Park Geun-hye (centre) has launched a bid to become the first woman to lead South Korea.

Ms Park could be a first for South Korea...and East Asia



BEIJING // If Park Geun-hye succeeds in being elected South Korean president this year, she should have few difficulties settling in to the presidential residence, the Blue House.

The 60-year-old political veteran, who declared last week she was seeking the presidency, has plenty of experience of South Korea's most auspicious address, since she is the daughter of Park Chung-hee, a military leader who spent 16 years as president until his assassination in 1979.

Yet while Ms Park's return to the presidential residence might appear fitting, it could also be seen as breaking the mould.

Many countries in South and South East Asia have been run by females as head of state or head of government, among them India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand, but no woman has been in charge, other than fleetingly, of a country in East Asia, a region that encompasses China, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and Mongolia and contains more than a fifth of the world's population.

Nyam-Osoryn Tuyaa's stint as acting prime minister of Mongolia in 1999 lasted just eight days, while Soong Ching-ling, technically the head of state of China for periods during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, was far from being the country's most powerful individual.

Ms Park's election would therefore represent a first, which is perhaps surprising given that several East Asian nations are far more developed than many of the Asian states that have already been run by women. Several factors help explain the modest success of women in East Asian politics, according to Chung Chin-sung, a sociology professor at Seoul National University, affiliated to the institute of gender research.

The colonial history in South and South East Asian countries accounts for "earlier western influence" that may have helped lessen gender barriers, she said.

She said East Asian nations have lacked such strong outside influence and instead remain heavily shaped by Confucianism, the philosophy developed by Confucius 2,500 years ago.

Described by Ms Chung as having a "strong patriarchal tendency", Confucianism has been particularly influential in China, the Korean peninsula, Taiwan and Japan.

"We have a Confucian tradition in East Asian countries, so accordingly women could not have good opportunities for education, and there's been an atmosphere that if women were visible in society, people do not think it's a good sign," she said.

In the Philippines, 22.9 per cent of parliamentarians are women, while in Pakistan the figure is 22.5 per cent. The figures in Japan and South Korea are both slightly less than half these figures. Only one member of China's 24-strong politburo is female.

It is not just in politics that female representation at high levels in East Asia has been modest. In major Japanese and South Korean companies, the number of women at senior levels is "pretty small", said Jim Hoare, a former British diplomat who has served in China and North and South Korea, and is now a research associate at London's School of Oriental and African Studies.

While their representation in the workforce can be high, "they don't necessarily make the top jobs", although he cautioned this was also seen in the West.

Ms Park's prospects in December's presidential election look bright, as she is thought likely to secure the nomination for South Korea's ruling Saenuri party, something she failed to do in 2007 when she lost to Lee Myung-bak, who went on to become president.

A member of the National Assembly since 1998, Ms Park is a shrewd political operator known as the "queen of elections" thanks to her successes between 2004 and 2006 while chairwoman of the Grand National Party, the predecessor to the Saenuri Party.

Economically she is a right-winger, although in recent years her position on welfare issues has softened and if elected she has said her priorites will be reducing inequality and improving ties with North Korea.

This time, her most formidable opponent comes from outside the party in the form of Ahn Cheol-soo, 50, a businessman and academic, although his popularity ratings trail Ms Park's.

Should her victory happen, it would come less than 12 months after another East Asian country came close to electing a woman leader, with Tsai Ing-wen losing January's presidential election in Taiwan to the incumbent, Ma Ying-jeou, by less than six per cent of the vote.

Her privileged background as the daughter of a former leader - a feature in common with several other woman who have taken high office in South and South East Asia - also sets her apart. Yet Ms Chung acknowledges Ms Park's election would represent "a starting point".

"We can expect, in the longer term, more women, even very ordinary women, to compete with ordinary men," she said.

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Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Boulder shooting victims

• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65

Poacher
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RESULT

Fifth ODI, at Headingley

England 351/9
Pakistan 297
England win by 54 runs (win series 4-0)

MATCH INFO

Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)

TV: Abu Dhabi Sports

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

Guide to intelligent investing
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THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

The%20Specs%20
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Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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Top tips

Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
 

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now

Fixtures

Wednesday

4.15pm: Japan v Spain (Group A)

5.30pm: UAE v Italy (Group A)

6.45pm: Russia v Mexico (Group B)

8pm: Iran v Egypt (Group B)

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4