Keywords: Park faces balancing act in Northeast Asia, Doomsday cult fiasco exposes social weaknesses

Park faces balancing act in Northeast Asia

South Korea's Park Geun-hye made history after being elected the nation's first woman president on Wednesday. However, the conservative Saenuri Party candidate's victory comes amid increasing tensions in the Northeast Asian region, sparking discussions in Chinese media over the impact of her future policies on the Korean Peninsula and Seoul's relationship with Beijing.

In a Global Times editorial published on Thursday, "Park Geun-hye Should Play Moderating Role," the paper held that the new South Korean leader must remain calm in her response to issues such as the North Korean threat, how her nation will be affected by China's rise, and South Korea's future role in Sino-US relations and the Northeast Asian region.

"It is regrettable that the relationship between Chinese and South Korean people suffered during Lee Myung-bak's rule. It is expected that the new president will take a moderate stance. Moreover, we are expecting the situation on the Korean Peninsula will remain under control and the Sino-South Korean relationship will remain stable in the long run strategically," the article said.

South Korea is finding it difficult to balance its relationship with China while maintaining strong military ties with Washington, according to the Global Times.

If Seoul is serious about building a strategic partnership with Beijing, "it should express that goodwill through actions rather than mere lip service."

Echoing the Global Times, Yang Xiyu, a researcher from China Institute of International Studies, said in an interview with China National Radio that Park will follow a "third" path different from her predecessors over the past 15 years, two of whom were progressive and one was conservative.

"How to unite the nation in favor of new reform poses the greatest challenge to Park's administration," Yang added.

During the interview, Yang also pointed out that Park is expected to take several new measures, including increase standards of living, reduce the wealth gap and break up monopolies. Her diplomacy platform will also differ from her pro-US predecessor.

"Even though Park said she will be a president who sticks by her campaign promises, she still needs time to improve North-South relations and national security after her predecessors handed over a nation laden with unresolved issues over the past five years."

Similarly, the Shanghai-based Jiefang Daily ran an opinion piece saying that relations are sure to remain frosty in the short term following Park's negative response to Pyongyang's satellite launch on December 12.

But Park also expressed interest in meeting with North Korean leadership and promised to establish North-South Exchange and Cooperation Offices in both Seoul and Pyongyang, which the paper lauded as a positive sign.

However the question remains how Park will answer to criticism of South Korea's space program, which repeatedly failed to launch their Space Vehicle-I while at the same time Pyongyang successfully put a satellite into orbit, said the article.

With regards to the relationship between Seoul and Washington, the paper held that Park's administration will consolidate South Korea's military ties with the US, yet not as much as her pro-US predecessor Lee Myung-bak.

"Joint military exercises between the two nations might be not as frequent as during Lee's administration to avoid agitating neighboring countries," the article added.

Doomsday cult fiasco exposes social weaknesses

As the so-called Armageddon according to the Mayan calendar approaches on December 21, Chinese media discussed ways to combat the Doomsday cult after police launched a nationwide campaign to crack down on the pseudo-religious group, which authorities believe advocates confrontation with the government.

More than 400 members of the Almighty God cult have been arrested in Northwest China's Qinghai Province. The cult was believed to be a source of panic and unrest in society.

The Global Times published an opinion piece on Thursday, saying that with a growing economy comes an increasing hunger for spirituality, something that gives these cults added leverage.

Modern communication tools and increasingly relaxed social governance in China have facilitated their operations.

Though cult groups cannot be thoroughly expelled from an open society,authorities should keep them under control and make crack downs regularly, said the opinion piece.

While "the lack of faith" in Chinese society is indeed a problem, it can only be addressed gradually as China develops.

Religion has played an unpredictable role in China's history, and currently it is impossible to empower one certain belief with the strength to lead all of society. This is not something that can be solved through government input, the article opined.

"China already has the experience it needs from tackling the Falun Gong. Cults like the Almighty God sect will have even less of a chance to gain a foothold," it concluded.

The popularity of the Doomsday theory is rooted in people's intrinsic fear of death, Sun Shijing, a professor on psychology from the Shanghai-based Fudan University told the Shanghai-based Dongfang Daily.

"We human beings have weaknesses and lack an overall awareness of ourselves and the world. This is why in times of crisis we hope for an 'ultimate savior' in our hearts," said Sun.

Pseudo-religious groups take advantage of people's weaknesses for their own profit and fame, said Sun, adding that it's possible there are other cults similar to the Almighty God cult currently operating in China.

Since it is difficult to clear out all cults at once, Sun suggests defending ourselves from such groups through cultivating mental and physical strength.

Shipingjie.net, a Shandong-based news opinion Website, offered a slew of solutions to better help prevent the spread of pseudo-religious groups.

The site appealed to Party members to strengthen their promotion of scientific thought, while media outlets should report on such cults to help educate the public.

The government should encourage people to report any cult members and offer rewards for information provided. Public security organs should also intensify their crackdowns and punish those who carry out illegal activities.