This is the sixth in a series of articles on the April 15 general elections. - ED.

By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter

As women lawmakers are likely to fill more than 10 percent of a total of 299 seats in the 17th National Assembly, they are hailed as a possible alternative to male-dominated politics tainted by corruption.

The revised law governing political parties guarantees at least 28 woman lawmakers out of 56 proportional seats as it stipulates that every party should place woman candidates on its half list of proportional representatives.

In the 2000 general elections, only 16 woman lawmakers were elected: five from the electoral district and 11 from the proportional system. Also, the 1996 elections saw just nine woman lawmakers elected in sum.

Considering female candidates who conspicuously lead in their constituency, the proposed number of women lawmakers (28) is likely to increase by more than 10.

``We forecast that about 40 women will be elected as lawmakers in the upcoming elections, which reaches 14 percent of all legislators,’’ said Lee Ku Kyung-suk, a senior policymaker at Korea Women’s Association United.

She also expressed expectation that the increased number of woman lawmakers will contribute to cleaner politics, marking a clear departure from deep-rooted patriarchal politics in Korea.

``Only women can change the male-centered politics, which have been known for violence and backdoor maneuvering,’’ Lee Ku said.

However, she noted that Korean politics have a long way to go as 14 percent is only an average ratio of women lawmakers in Asian countries.

Kim Ho-ki, a professor at Yonsei University, also translated the addition of more woman lawmakers as a desirable phenomenon for Korean society.

``So far, our political system has been marred by vote buying, regionalism, authoritarianism and a patriarchal system,’’ Kim said. ``Women politicians can play very positive roles in the resolution of these problems.’’

In fact, as political power gradually shifts toward cultural strength, women will rightly find their places and prove themselves more than capable.

It may be true that women are relatively less corrupt than men in the political sphere, and they can bring in a new image to politics. However, some scholars pointed to the fact that women have been too sidelined to dip their hands in the dirty money.

Some political observers also raise concerns over whether or not women can really carry out their own role in politics.

``The growth in the number of female lawmakers does not mean that their new politics will appeal to the public,’’ Jung Hae-gu, a professor at Sungkonghoe University said.

Jung illustrated the current situation as a new wine in the same bottle, saying that there is no content in the female politics.

``For female lawmakers, they must think of a way to outdo male lawmakers in a political sense if they are really to emerge as a new force and change politics,’’ he added.

The identity of women politicians must be different from men’s, however, it remains to be seen if they can present themselves differently _ with clean, policy-oriented politics.

Jung went on to say that female political leaders like Park Geun-hye, chairwoman of the Grand National Party and Chu Mi-ae, chief campaigner of the Millennium Democratic Party are good examples of women acting in politics.

``Women must not be used as an ornament to political parties, but in our current situation, they are successfully supporting old politics where male politicians failed.’’

Opinion polls reveal that most of the nation supports an increase in the number of women in the National Assembly, and voters will see if their anticipations will be met after the crucial elections are over.

yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr