Riordan Stops in Seoul to See History Unfold

Pausing briefly in a trip devoted to drumming up business for Los Angeles and cementing relationships with its Asian sister cities, Mayor Richard Riordan took the opportunity Wednesday to play witness to history.

Riordan and his wife, Nancy Daly Riordan, joined other American dignitaries as official U.S. representatives here for the inauguration of South Korean President Kim Dae Jung. On a cold but sunny day, the mayor and the city’s new first lady occupied seats behind the podium as Kim took the oath of office before a crowd of about 40,000.

“It was awe-inspiring,” Riordan said of South Korea’s historic democratic transfer of power, the first from the ruling party to its opposition.

The Riordans’ place of honor on the platform was a testament to Southern California’s status as home to more Koreans than any area outside Asia and to the mayor’s close relationship with the Clinton administration. The White House selected the official U.S. representatives to the event and has long courted Riordan’s support.

“The atmosphere was electrifying,” Riordan said afterward. “I thought [Kim’s] speech was superb. He hit all the main issues.”

The mayor said he was struck by the way Kim’s inaugural address set out an agenda similar to his own: emphasizing economics over politics, calling for improved education and affirming the private sector’s leading role in society.

Two passages in particular could have been drawn from Riordan’s own speeches. According to Kim:

* “A large portion of the power and functions that have been by now concentrated in the central government will be transferred to the private sector and local autonomous governments.”

* “Education reform is a key that will solve a mountain of problems in our society today.”

The mayor said he was pleased to hear a world leader such as Kim sound themes so close to his own heart.

“It makes me feel good that people are waking up to all this,” Riordan said as he prepared to leave Seoul for Japan to rejoin the city trade mission to the Far East. “You’re hearing this in Washington and around the world.”

South Korea’s economy is in dire straits, and many fear it could be headed for worse. From editorials in local newspapers and pointed comments of U.S. diplomats to the somber reflections of average citizens who approached Riordan during the day, the self-doubt here was painfully evident. Kim referred to the crisis as second in importance only to the Korean War in this nation’s history. It is, he said, “a stupefying situation.”

Riordan was part of a six-member official delegation headed by Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. ambassador to South Korea. After the ceremony, the group gathered to lunch and ruminate over the significance of South Korea’s political changes and its huge economic challenges.

The day had its comic edges as well, drifting from the sublime to the ridiculous.

As Riordan prepared to leave the inauguration, City Councilman Nate Holden, an unofficial guest at the event, corralled the mayor, threw an arm over his shoulder and mugged for photographs with him--an ordeal that Holden cheerfully inflicted and Riordan grimly endured.

At the mayor’s hotel, meanwhile, the corridors were teeming with fans of pop singer Michael Jackson, whose mysterious appearance at the inauguration locals attributed to the entertainer’s expressed interest in building an amusement park in South Korea. Jackson made no public statements during his inaugural appearance, where he sat a few rows in front of Riordan.

At the hotel, officials took care to see that television monitors featured the singer’s videos whenever he boarded an elevator. Fans dressed like the singer milled in the lobby, vainly hoping for a glimpse of him.

Riordan on Wednesday rejoined the Los Angeles delegation in Nagoya, Japan, where part of the group will visit local officials to mark the sister city relationship. Some city officials also will meet with Nagoya port representatives; others are conducting business elsewhere in Japan.