There is nothing singular about a newly elected president enjoying public affection during the honeymoon period, but the popularity of South Korea’s new president is rather peculiar.
What captivates the hearts of President Moon Jae-in’s supporters, or fans, is the person himself rather than his political ideals and statecraft skills.
His affectionate nickname “Inie” or in-words such as “Moon-tem” or “Inie goods” — referring to popular merchandise related to him — have made the president something quite close to a pop idol in the eyes of the political audience.
The most easily accessible product for his admirers is his book “Moon Jae-in’s Destiny,” an autobiographical memoir of his friendship with the late liberal President Roh Moo-hyun, his role in the Roh administration and personal life.
The book was published back in 2012, acting as a preview for Moon’s announcement for his presidential bid that year, but has been shelved since Moon’s election defeat. However, it once again found its way into the public spotlight, this time as a special limited edition with additional photos featuring Moon from last year’s candlelight rallies to this year’s election campaigns.
According to major book sellers here, this edition stood as one of the top five bestselling books as of the third week of May, following Moon’s swearing-in as president on May 10.
Also, though not tallied in the book score, the Asian edition of the magazine Time which featured Moon on the cover sold out even after additional printing.
Moon’s other books, including “The Republic of Korea asks, Moon Jae-in answers,” made their way to the front of the shelves over the past weeks.
The popularity was especially evident among women in their 20s and 30s, who were part of the nation’s young generation to support Moon and his liberal Democratic Party of Korea during the campaigns.
“I already had a copy of Destiny, but wanted a special edition as well to celebrate and remember the election of a president which I have so dearly longed for,” said Kim Min-ki, a 34-year-old teacher and mother living in Gyeonggi Province.
Kim, who also bought several copies of Time, playfully complained of a lack of “Moon items” in the market for fans to purchase.
“I sincerely hope that more merchandise featuring Moon will hit the market soon enough because, right now more than half of the nation is more than willing to pay for such goods and the money could be put to good use, such as helping the underprivileged.”
Some attributed the new president’s soaring popularity to his “good looks” but his set of actions since inauguration and the consequent public responses seem to suggest that there are plenty of other reasons.
According to local pollster Gallup Korea last Friday, 87 per cent of the respondents answered that Moon would “do well” in state affairs. The figure more than doubled Moon’s final turnout in the May 9 election — 41.1 per cent — suggesting a considerable number of people who have turned in favour of Moon during his first few days in office.
Taking office with no transition period, Moon at once set to implementing his campaign pledges, starting by a move to boost employment and to promote employment conditions.
He also gestured at opening up to the media and public, clearly distancing himself from ousted predecessor Park Geun-hye who was frequently criticised for her way of communicating with the media and public.
But the real clincher was his attitude during the May 18 Democratization Movement ceremony in Gwangju last week. Not only did he make the first presidential visit to the memorial event since year 2013, but he also went viral for shedding tears over the victims’ tragic stories. The scene of the red-eyed president hugging a memorial speaker, whose father had died back in the 1980 uprising, touched the nation’s heart.
Apparently, it is not just South Koreans who are going wild over their new state leader. A Moon Jae-in fan club account on China’s social network channel Weibo gathered over 50,000 members by late last week, sharing Moon’s daily schedule and undiscovered photographs.
The true drive behind such sudden enthusiasm, pundits pointed out, is the political aspiration of a crowd which has remained restraint during the past conservative governments.
“This trend (of consuming Moon-related products) reflects an unprecedented public sentiment which wishes not only to support Moon as a politician, but also to take after the person he is,” said culture analyst Kim Sung-soo.
Such fervent yearning, however, could act as a double-edged sword for a freshly inaugurated president who has sworn to achieve social unity, he added.
“A large part of the people’s love for Moon is based on emotions and personal taste, not on policies or ideologies,” he said.
“This kind of emotion may easily turn to hate against those who do not agree.”
Yoon Pyeong-joong, professor of political philosophy at Hanshin University, also claimed that the strong fandom could lead to a side effect of deterring Moon’s attempts to embrace opposing power groups.
Reflecting such concerns, conservative opposition lawmakers have been voicing out their complaints over Moon’s fans’ activities.
“I urge for the pro-Moon faction and Moon fans to disband,” said Rep. Joo Ho-young of the People’s Party last week, blaming Moon supporters for self-righteousness.
To this, a number of Moon fans refuted, claiming that there is “no organisation to disband in the first place.”
“We don’t attend meetings, don’t take orders (unlike the pro-Parks), we just do what we feel like doing and somehow end up getting along with other Moon fans, that’s all,” said one of the popular screen shots shared by Moon supporters on the internet.
