Saenuri Party presidential candidate Park Geun-hye and independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo on Tuesday stressed the role of national leadership to promote reconciliation and cooperation in Northeast Asia.

Speaking at the Asia Future Forum held in Seoul, the two candidates presented their ideas for paradigm shift in leadership in a rapidly changing world.

“I think that first ‘leadership of integration’ is needed. (Korea) needs leadership that reflects the uniqueness of our modern history and heals the pain and wounds contained within, to achieve development and social integration,” Park said. She added that “leadership of trust” is also needed in a time of confusion.

“The basic of trust in leadership is keeping promises. Whether it be politics or diplomacy, it is not the number of promises that are made that is important but how many promises are kept.”

While Park highlighted her brand of leadership, Ahn’s focus was on the need for collaboration.

“(I) do not think that the world can be changed alone. Changes that alter the world are possible when the wise public and experts pool their wisdom,” Ahn said.

“What is needed is leadership that pushes from behind rather than pulls from the front ― open leadership that poses questions and facilitates arrival at the right answer, not leadership that makes decisions. I want to become a president that makes new changes with the public.”

Tuesday’s comments from the two presidential candidates follow those envisioning changes in Northeast Asia.

“Northeast Asia needs to achieve ‘big reconciliation’ from the endless conflict,” Park said on Monday at the forum marking the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, which was created to facilitate cooperation among Korea, China and Japan.

The conservative candidate also expressed the need for systematic tools to facilitate reconciliation and to open “a future of cooperation” among the public and governments of the three countries.

Park also said the region must take on more responsibilities in global issues such as climate change and terrorism, adding that “Korea-China-Japan troika cooperation” needs to be expanded.

Ahn echoed similar sentiments, but focused more on economic issues.

Emphasizing the need for collaboration among the three nations, Ahn said that the “northern economy’s blue ocean” will be opened on the foundations of trilateral cooperation.

However, Ahn said the three countries need to resolve issues that have built up during and since the end of the World War II, and indirectly addressed Japan’s position on historical issues citing the example of Germany since the end of war in Europe.

“Germany’s thorough repentance provided the basis for its advancement, and for integration and peace in Europe,” Ahn said, adding that Korean, Chinese and Japanese academics should work together on the issue.

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)