Undervalued blue chip lawmaker Sohn Hak-kyu

Sohn Hak-kyu was wiping tears from his cheek in a greenhouse of Jangsung-gun, a small town in southern Jella province. It is a very odd place to bump into former governor of Gyeonggi-do with the population of 10.62 M slightly more than that of the capital Seoul. In fact he was shedding tears not because of grief or anything like that, but because of hot green onions.

As soon as his term as governor expired, he hit the road carrying a big bag on his back and headed for Jangsung-gun as the first destination among scores of cities he is set to visit as part of his ‘100 days Long March to Feel Public Sentiment.’

In the web site of the project, you can track down where he is now, what kind of work he is doing, whom he talks to, and what he feels during the project. He reveals on the website he has started physically exhaustive march to meet people and listen to what ordinary people have to say.

An easy interpretation can be that it is just one of political showcases of which the main purpose often turns out for good, touching pictures. Given his down-to-earth character and low-profile political history, however, the project seems more than just a political stunt. Moreover he did the similar thing in 2005 for 42 days with 500 university students hoping for world peace.

As a governor, his achievement was remarkable: attracting 114 foreign companies and foreign investment worth $14.1 bn to Gyeonggi province, creating 80,000 jobs in the region, and making 21 business trips overseas for 109 days in order to invite foreign capital.

Despite his excellent job as governor, his achievement was largely overshadowed by that of former Seoul governor Lee Myung-bak, who greatly contributed to downtown scenery of Seoul by successfully finishing an ambitious two-year project to revive Cheong-gye-cheon, a stream that had used to run through the city but buried in the 1950-1970.

Sohn Hak-kyu is now back to floor member of Grand National Party and has not officially revealed ambition to become the top leader of the country. Many observers think he is largely trailing behind former party leader Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak so he stands a very little chance to win the party’s presidential ticket in the primary election.

However underestimating his potential can be a huge mistake. Often compared to a undervalued blue chip, he has recently been chosen as the strongest presidential candidate by a group of reporters.

Today marks 10 days into his 100 long march around the country. Whether he can reinvent himself after 100 days as a leader who truly understands people's mind and proves he has drive and power to realize what ordinary people wants remains to be seen.