Two years ago, I entered the site of Atlanta Korean Literature Association by chance. An advert caught my eyes that of a literary award for rookie writers. I was curious a bit and decided to challenge, submitted an essay and won an award unexpectedly. It made me feel a great honour to a lone writer myself that qualified me to join the AKLA subsequently. Soon, I began to taste the real literature world in wide range and that enriched my writing skills and appreciation. I also found that there were more activities such as monthly meeting, publicity ceremony and seminars etc. rather than just writing. I had been based in England for some lengthy time but was hoping to attend those events sometime in the near future. Then the pandemic struck the world as well as my own personal problems that stopped me moving there recent years. However, I kept on building the friendship with some members via online and Kakaotalk and they are like my old mates already.

 

 

In approaching mid-November, I learned that there would be an election for the chairman of AKLA in the AGM in December. But no notice of it at all for the members who couldn’t attend it physically because of the geographical distance and personal reasons. While I was waiting for some announcement  had a look at the rules written at the back of the AKLA quarterly publication. There were no specific rules how a chairman was going to be elected and not much time for the practical proceedings. I simply and hurriedly sent out urgent suggestions in hoping the committee to put it into action.

 

 

Some of the members began to produce counter comments which were very much against mine. We soon exchanged heated debates that worried other members who wrote “Refrain yourselves”. Exchanging strong feelings is healthy and quite a common occurrence in debate in any human gatherings. However, a message was posted by the chairman that all the members regardless where they were would be inclusive in the election. That was good enough, I thought, at least as the election was approaching fast. Alas! One of the previous chairmen wrote in resistant tone that it should be done by appointment as it used to be. I immediately opposed to him saying that he couldn’t override the current chairman’s statement. He then sent me a challenging message if I was trying to undermine the ex chairmanship. How ridiculous he sounded that he still had a right of way jurisdiction! I simply said the authority of current chairman couldn’t be ruled out by previous chairman.

 

 

The AGM day finally came but still no notice of any instructions for the election and I sensed the very obvious twist. Soon after, I was able to gather what really happened there in that AGM. - Voting right only for the attendees who consisted of just over half of the entire membership – and the baton of the current chairman was hijacked by one the previous chairmen. And the new chairman seemed to be elected pre-planned. The voting rights of absentees were simply deprived by the ex chairman and his entourage.

 

Astonishing. A blunt cronyism!

 

 

It is usually practised in Banana republics that appoint their new leader by the predecessor or prefabricated election which is sheer despotism. Although the president is elected through general election In South Korea, cronyism is a prevalent in every corner of the society; in Enterprises and even in churches. How it is chronic, entrepreneurs create jobs and productions whereas the church ministers hand over the pastoral roles to their own children or someone who are related to. A church is regarded as sacred that gets more attention to be criticised when ill practice is committed.

 

 

A handing over the power via cronyism is a regent who can influence to his/ her successor in any circumstances. This regent system is especially in common practice in the countries which are influenced by one of the theories of  Confucius that the virtue of respecting elders as told. These philosophies of his became almost like a religious teaching that deeply rooted in that region over two millennium years.

 

We are living in the 21st century, the era of nanotechnology and full blown human rights. Any individual misadventure or misbehaviour how small or big is instantly caught by the cameras and transmitted to the whole world almost instantly. Needless to say, this recent election of AKLA was so insignificant to the eyes of ordinary people. But it again was almost arrogated by a former chairman and his man has been elected that is a very negative picture, done through like this.

 

I’ve been frequently told for some time by friends in Korea that “The young Koreans are very different from our generation” which I also feel by being fed from the media. I have no doubt that the wealth they enjoy so much through rapid economic growth that certainly contributed to it and the global life they experience profoundly in Korea as well as abroad.

 

 

I also firmly believe that our old generation is used to the blunt cronyism but that is an abominable act to young generation. I also recently spotted another new word called “Gapjil” which means ‘oppressive behaviour’ of the rich and powerful towards their employees”

 

 

Again, this blunt cronyism can be accepted/ ignored to certain extent by old generation who have lived the whole life span in that environment. But the news of this ill-fated election will spread out soon or later and be judged by young people as well as intellectuals in any age group. It’s only matter of time when the significantly castigated image of the AKLA will return as a boomerang. It was wrong!