A shared past of politics and family tragedy brought together two of the most influential female politicians in Asia at a meeting in Seoul, South Korea.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader of Myanmar, recently went on a four day diplomatic tour of South Korea, ostensibly to open the Winter Special Olympics, but also to enter into dialogue over the future of bilateral relations between Myanmar and South Korea. The opposition leader met a number of high ranking officials including the President Lee Myeung-bak and the Mayor of Seoul, Park Won-soon, and Lee Young-ae, a South Korean actor popular in Myanmar.
Suu Kyi also accepted the Gwangju Human Rights Award that she was awarded in 2004 but was unable to collect at the time because she was under house in Myanmar. However, the real notable point of the tour came when Aung San Suu Kyi met the female president-elect of South Korea, Park Guen-hee. The two women met for the first time and shook hands at an official event in Seoul.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader of Myanmar, recently went on a four day diplomatic tour of South Korea, ostensibly to open the Winter Special Olympics, but also to enter into dialogue over the future of bilateral relations between Myanmar and South Korea.
This was a meeting not only of two individuals who share a platform as two of the most influential female politicians in Asia; it was a handshake that brought together two women who share parallel remarkable yet tragic family histories. Both the women’s fathers were famous political figureheads and both were shot dead.
Park (60) was the daughter of the former leader and dictator of South Korea, Park Chung-hee, who was shot by a spy. He led the country out of poverty and was responsible for the rebuilding of the economy in the early twentieth century. But as a leader he was also criticized for, some say, brutal tactics towards pro-democracy campaigners. Suu Kyi (67) was the daughter of General Aung San, a man considered a leader and hero of the Burmese Independence movement. He was assassinated in 1947.
Despite a shared fate both men lay completely at the other end of the political spectrum. Likewise, in Seoul the two daughters came together with contrasting political positions and back stories. Regardless of their divergent politics, these two women will play a key role in shaping the future of relations between Myanmar and South Korea.
During the meeting Aung San Suu Kyi said she hoped Myanmar would be able to prosper and help advance peace around the world. Park Guen-hee said, “I hope that we can work together to establish freer and happier South Korea and Burma”.
by Jack Goodman
