Running a K-pop campaign

A South Korea-born lawyer who is running for a seat in Indonesia’s national Parliament is attracting buzz on social media.

Kim Chong-sung (pic), 58, who became an Indonesian citizen 10 years ago, even uses “K-pop” as his campaign slogan, but it carries a meaning beyond the common reference to South Korean popular music.

At busy road junctions where dozens of posters often vie for attention ahead of the Feb 14 vote, those showing Kim easily stand out because of his uncommon name.

He is running for the Golkar party in the Jakarta II ward, one of the most intensely contested electoral districts.

To win the seat, Kim, whom the media has dubbed “Bang Kim” (elder brother Kim in Bahasa Indonesia), must defeat more than 100 other candidates.

His brand of “K-pop” stands for “kredible, professional, objective and peduli (caring)”, promoting his political commitment in a mix of Bahasa Indonesia and English.

Among his promises are arranging for 200 eligible Indonesian students a year from underprivileged families to study in South Korea. Under his proposal, these “student workers” would finance themselves by working up to 25 hours a week.

He has also vowed to give free legal assistance to Indonesian migrant workers who face any problem abroad, and said he is planning to further promote investments in Indonesia to South Korean investors.

Observers note that it is rare for a naturalised Indonesian citizen to run as a national MP candidate, and his endeavour has become one of the hottest topics on social media.

Kim migrated to Jakarta from Seoul 31 years ago to pursue a business venture.

Having spent more than half his life in Indonesia, he is fluent in both Korean and Bahasa Indonesia, but says he feels more Indonesian than Korean.

Forget about Korean kimchi (fermented cabbage) or tteokbokki (rice cakes) – he says he prefers Indonesian fare like mie goreng (fried noodles) and durian.

“I love it here. Everywhere you go there are bananas, durian. The nature is beautiful – it’s like a paradise,” he told The Straits Times over coffee on Jan 18, when asked why he stayed on in Indonesia and became a citizen.

The father of two said he felt blessed and privileged to be a successful entrepreneur, and then a lawyer in Indonesia, and felt he needed to give back to society.

While a lot of attention for the Feb 14 election has been trained on the presidential race, the fight for the 580 seats in the national Parliament is markedly intense.

There are 17 political parties in the fray, with typically three to 12 candidates running in each electoral district across the vast archipelago.

The buzz around Kim could prove to be an advantage, as many people are curious about his backstory.

Political analyst Djayadi Hanan said Kim would attract Gen-Z and millennial voters – who make up more than half of the electorate in a country with the largest population of K-pop fans – if he could associate himself with South Korean pop culture.

But Kim would still need to undertake a key task, which is hitting the ground to meet constituents.

“Being popular does not guarantee you would be elected. Another factor is how strong the rivals are in his electoral district,” Dr Djayadi said. — The Straits Times/ANN