Topic: Political Corruption in Latin America
Country: South Korea
Delegate Name: Peter Sage
School: Grand Rapids City High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All South Korea position papers GLIMUN 2018 committees
The presence of political corruption in Latin America has proven to be a serious issue deeply rooted in many of the region’s governing bodies that prompts intervention from international authority. With political leaders accepting bribes and operating with a lack of transparency, the region’s people live without fair governing. The interest of political leaders is easily shifted from the well-being of their people, to the success of the highest paying party willing to hand over a bribe. This has lead to the development and success of large criminal organizations including cartels that drug traffic for profit, and have murdered a severe number of people for interfering. Many Latin American states have shifted from autocratic governments to democratic governments within the past two centuries, but this has not stopped political corruption from rooting itself within governing bodies. The Republic of Korea maintains that Latin American political corruption is an issue that cannot be solved via only local authority, that international assistance is required.
Unfortunately, the Republic of Korea has a strong history of political corruption at a high level. Several former presidents have been tried and convicted for bribery, abuse of power, and treason. Park Geun-hye, who was president from 2013 to 2017, has been sentenced to 24 years in prison for her corrupt action as leader. Current president, Moon Jae-in renounces the country’s past of corrupt leaders, and has worked to solve issues of political corruption. The Republic of Korea recognizes the issue of political corruption as one that affects a state’s citizens negatively and directly. Since punishing corrupt leaders for their actions and electing a president that has worked to reduce corruption, a number of issues related to the past corruption have dissolved. The Republic of Korea believes that the dissolution of corruption among governing bodies in Latin America is impertinent to the well-being of its people.
The Republic of Korea suggests that individuals in power for whom there is sound evidence of corrupt activity be removed from their positions and punished accordingly. The Republic of Korea took this first step domestically in 2017, and has seen improvement regarding corruption in its government already. By safely removing corrupt officials from their positions, the consequences of those leaders’ corrupt actions are stopped at their roots. As new individuals are elected in countries where corrupt leaders have been removed, transparency about operation must be required of the new leaders. The Republic of Korea supports resolution that entails the removal of corrupt politicians and a higher standard of transparency regarding the operation of government officials.
