VOA常速英语2007年-Voters Most Concerned About Economic Issues in

By Kurt Achin
Seoul
17 December 2007

A former Seoul mayor nicknamed "the bulldozer" is closing in on what experts predict will be a decisive victory in this week's South Korean presidential vote. Lee Myung-bak has aimed his campaign message straight at South Koreans' wallets, and the strategy seems to be paying off. As VOA's Kurt Achin reports, other issues have taken a back seat in the race.

For the average South Korean on the streets of the capital city, the importance of this week's presidential election boils down to a simple factor.

Mr. Kim, an office worker in his 40's, says the domestic economic situation is very hard, and a president's main duty should be to revive the economy and ensure citizens are fed.

That sentiment is being expressed by executives, laborers¹ and housewives alike - most of whom have been telling pollsters their vote in Wednesday's election will go to Grand National Party candidate Lee Myung-bak.

Michael Breen is a business and political consultant² who has lived in Seoul for more than 25 years. He says Lee appeals to a get-things-done mentality³ among Koreans who want an improvement in their standard of living.

"Koreans want someone who they think understand business, can run an economy and not get sidetracked by secondary issues - among them, North Korea," he explained.

Lee served as chairman of a unit of the Hyundai Corporation before becoming mayor of Seoul. As mayor he earned the nickname "bulldozer," by tearing up a highway laid down by Japanese occupiers in the early 20th century. The demolition⁴ uncovered a scenic⁵ stream underneath⁶.

Lee promises to boost South Korea's economic growth rate from the current four percent to seven percent.

His two-word campaign theme, "be successful," has been greeted with an approval rating that has hovered⁷ around 50 percent in recent polling. His rivals have lagged at least 30 points behind.

Breen says perceptions of a stalled economy under outgoing President Roh Moo-hyun have emerged as the overwhelming single issue of the race. Still, he says candidates have avoided discussing the kind of market opening reforms that experts say the country needs, because most South Koreans still have a fiercely nationalistic view of their economy.

"Instinctively⁸... many, many people feel that opening up to foreigners is a bad idea," Breen said. " 'As foreigners make profits, therefore we Koreans lose money.' There's sort of a primitive⁹ view of what it all means."

Lee Myung-bak's main rival, United New Democrat¹⁰ Party candidate Chung Dong-young, is receiving only about 16 percent in the polls. Pollsters say he suffers because of his close political connections to President Roh, whom many viewers describe as indecisive.

Chung has focused much of his campaign message on his plans to deepen Mr. Roh's policy of peaceful engagement with North Korea.

Most South Koreans support some degree of practical cooperation with the North, to ensure stability on the Korean peninsula. However, many feel the South has received too little in return for the billions of dollars in aid and investment it has sent North.

They also feel Seoul has not been repaid for the Roh administration's near-total silence on North Korean human rights abuses: Pyongyang's treatment of its own people, and the 1,000 South Korean prisoners of war and abductees the North is believed to be holding.

Patience with the engagement policy suffered a severe setback¹¹ when North Korea conducted its first nuclear weapons test in October of last year - an event South Korean officials said their concessions¹² and cooperation with the North was designed to avert¹³.

Lee Hoi-chang, the arch-conservative independent candidate who currently ranks third in polling, appeals to voters who want the most radical¹⁴ change from the Roh administration. With about a 10 percent approval rate, Lee says he would halt most inter-Korean projects until the North completely gives up its nuclear weapons and improves its human rights practices.

Cheong Seong-chang is the Director of Inter-Korean studies at the Sejong Institute in Seoul. He says frontrunner Lee represents a middle-of-the-road choice on North Korea.

He says Lee's view is flexible but practical. It demands that North Korea eliminate its nuclear arsenal¹⁵, but not all at once. He says Lee's policy would link economic cooperation to the North's steps on the nuclear issue.

1 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

2 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

3 mentality   

n.心理，思想，脑力

参考例句：

• He has many years'experience of the criminal mentality.他研究犯罪心理有多年经验。
• Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee.经营企业所要求具备的心态和上班族的心态截然不同。

4 demolition   

n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹

参考例句：

• The church has been threatened with demolition for years. 这座教堂多年来一直面临拆毀的威胁。
• The project required the total demolition of the old bridge. 该项目要求将老桥完全拆毁。

5 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

6 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

7 hovered   

鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
• A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。

8 instinctively   

adv.本能地

参考例句：

• As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

10 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

11 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

12 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

13 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

14 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

15 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。