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Introduction
Making changes where there is incompetence in government is important as it keeps civil servants
on their toes as they know they will be held accountable through the ballot and it legitimises the
leader’s rule in the public’s view. This essay was chosen to demonstrate that in order to have a
thriving nation, the free will of the people is important. South Korea, under Moon Jae In, continues
to see progress in the livelihoods of the south Korean people whilst on the other hand the north’s
majority residents continue to live in poverty under Kim Jong Un 1. Whereas Kim Jong Un and Moon
Jae In are different in the way they came into power, they are also similar in that they want peace on
the Korean peninsula.

Ascend to Power
Moon’s journey to the presidency began in 2012 after winning a seat in the South Korean National
Assembly. In December of the very same year, he was chosen as the candidate to represent the
Democratic Union Party in the presidential election. He narrowly lost but remained active in party
politics. He made it to the presidency after winning a snap election which was declared due to his
predecessor’s impeachment2. Kim Jong Un was groomed for higher office by his father, a dictator,
beginning in 2009 after he was listed as a candidate for the Korean People’s assembly. By April, he
was handed a post on the National Defence Commission. The chairmanship of that commission,
which was held by his father, is described by the North Korean constitution as the country’s highest
office. He then received high military ranks, even though he had no prior known military experience.
His star in the country began to rise and it was clear that he was being positioned to take over. As
fate would have it, Kim Jong Un was declared as the country’s supreme leader after the passing of
his father in December 2011, following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps. 3

Peace in the Peninsula

A giant leap for peace occurred when the two countries announced that the third Inter-Korean
summit was to be held in April 2018. This was the first time these two leaders met. The summit was
held in South Korea, to put things into perspective the previous two summits had been held in the
North Korean capital, thus Kim Jong Un was the first North Korean leader to go to the South since
the end of the Korean war, showing this as no small gesture. During this time, the two nations
declared that they are in discussion regarding the formal ending of the Korean war through a peace
treaty. The North also agreed to joining the 2018 winter Olympics, which were held in the South, by
participating with the South under one flag. Whatever motivation for the initiatives, it shows a
willingness on both leaders at a peaceful peninsula, with possibility of unification of one people,
reuniting families and a land which was separated arbitrarily. 4

Conclusion
On the basis of ascend to power, economic policy and contribution to peace in the Korean peninsula,
Moon Jae In shows more of a respect for will of the people contrasted with being given power like
Kim Jong Un. The two leaders should be commended for their contribution in trying to bring peace
to the peninsula through dialogue and not war.

1
www.fpri.org/article/2017/04/nations-prosper-case-north-south-korea
2
www.britannicca.com/biography/Moon-Jae-In
3
Supreme Leader: a biography of kim jong un 978-1489568991
4
Jtl.columbia.edu/the-inter-korean-summit-and-the-prospect-of-peace-on-the-korean-peninsula?cn-
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References