Huh?

One of the great benefits of living in a democracy is that every few years you get to watch an election, and if you're lucky a man like Huh Kyung-Young will throw his porkpie hat into the ring. You hope he doesn't win - although stranger things have happened - but his being in the race just makes the world a bit a brighter. All you have to do is mention his name and you'll bring a smile to the face of all those within earshot.

The Korean presidential election has, of course, come and gone. That Lee Myung-Bak would win was never really in doubt and, as a result, we all had to look elsewhere for suspense and amusement. The suspense never came, but Our Man Huh did his best to keep us amused - and the fact that he happens to be batshit insane certainly didn't hurt his cause.

Shortly before the election, Huh did an interview with the Herald Biz newspaper, for which the Marmot's Hole was kind enough to provide some translation:

About himself:

Like a light from the east, I have appeared for this era, and since I can see the future, I have planned my Internet strategy way back in the past. With my 430 IQ, I can also control the spiritual domain.

I have also read 35 religious scriptures from several religions, and concluded that they have no value. The religions have prepared for my coming and I’m the one who will complete them.

On his party’s funding:

The party’s regional offices raises the needed funds on their own and sends them to the party’s central headquarters, whenever it is needed. The regional branches exist because of my spiritual abilities.

On what he plans to do if he’s elected President:

After I become President, I’ll hold a national election with the aim of “boycotting” the local elections on April and reducing the number of seats in the National Assembly to 100. I’ll also get rid of direct elections for local officials and political parties. I’ll also change the constitution so that a President can run for an another term.

In the end, Huh garnered 0.04% of the vote (about 96,000 in total), not bad when you consider that his only guaranteed constituency probably has to vote from the confines of the Booby Hatch.

Gibberish aside, Huh happens to be emblematic of a larger political issue. Of the many things that troubled me during this week's election - and which also worry me about the US campaign - is the degree to which our political systems operate at the whims of individuals. Every candidate promises that everything will be Rainbows & Skittles if he/she is elected, whereas a vote for that person's opponent is a step down the path to certain ruin. That our political systems may depend so heavily on the people running them is cause for concern: you may have competent, principled people in office today, but what about tomorrow?

To which Huh Kyung-Young merely responded:

If the UN HQ is moved to the Panmmunjon, 500 organizations will move with it, which means our economy will grow threefold.