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[Column] What President Lee can do to raise S. Korea’s standing |
Gwon Tae-seon, Editorial writer |
At the G-20 summit that finished up last weekend in Pittsburgh, U.S., it was decided that beginning 2011 the G-20 would hold an annual meeting, and that South Korea would host next year’s meeting. President Lee Myung-bak, who likened the process of attracting the summit as conducting a “war without the sound of gunfire,” views the success of such efforts proof of South Korea’s elevated status in the international community. He was cheered on the flight back and at the Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House), which stated in a formal briefing, “For the first time in the history of our foreign diplomacy, we have come to occupy a location in the central axis.” Some people are even reportedly calling it “the most meaningful event since the time of Dangun.”
As the G-20 has arisen as a new consultative body to take the place of the G-8 in coordinating economic matters since the global financial crisis, it is definitely significant that South Korea has a role in it and has even succeeded in becoming host for next year’s summit. However, the Cheong Wa Dae’s excitement seems a bit over the top. After the Pittsburgh summit’s conclusion, U.S. President Barack Obama who had served as host, held a press conference and despite prefacing the meeting with a lengthy explanation of the summit’s achievements, the press asked only one question about the G-20. This may be said to symbolize the G-20’s current status.
That said, the South Korean government should not be blamed for wanting to view the host-country status for the G-20 summit as an opportunity to enhance the country’s standing. Extravagant pronouncements about “the most meaningful event since the time of Dangun,” however, only diminish that standing. Fujiwara Masahiko, the Japanese mathematician who write The Dignity of a State, defined a nation’s dignity as the fragrance that is created by all the constituent members of society. These exaggerations end up destroying South Korea’s fragrance, and reduce it to a splash of cheap perfume.
In order to raise the nation’s standing, the Lee administration should instead refer to the survey results announced this spring by the Presidential Council on National Branding. Foreign residents in South Korea who responded to the questionnaire cited the standoff with North Korea, the lack of sufficient contributions to international society, and sociopolitical insecurities as reasons for the undervaluing of South Korea’s brand. Primary responsibility for solving this problem, which would also enhance the standing of South Korea, lies with the government.
President Lee says the observance of law and order takes primacy in enhancing the nation’s standing, but it is difficult to find anyone among the new Cabinet members who has properly observed the law, including Prime Minister Chung Un-chan, who was confirmed by the ruling Grand National Party in the National Assembly yesterday. Who wants to follow someone who demands citizens compliance with law and order, without any reflection over the fact that he has filled the Cabinet and state organizations with individuals who have violated the law?
This does not mean that we should continue simply blaming people for things done in the past. If President Lee were to extend a hand now and say that he will do things properly and we should all work together, it could not be ignored. However for us to join hands, he would need to show signs of a new beginning. Efforts to resolve the separated family issue and the Yongsan tragedy could be such signs. President Lee should attempt to persuade North Korea to regularize family reunions and increase the scale so that no one else goes to their graves without ever resolving their bitterness. In addition, he should take at least minimal measures so that the remains of the victims from the Yongsan tragedy are interred. Only if he addresses these matters in this way can the government’s vow to enhance the nation’s standing ring true in the hearts of the people, and only in this way can our society emit a dignified fragrance. |
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