hankyoreh

dean of SNU Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology

By Kim Oi-hyun, staff writer

Ahn Chul-soo, software tycoon and possible presidential candidate, urged active participation in the Apr. 11 general elections in a special lecture onTuesday.

“Active voting is practically the only way to go from an old system to a new one and reflect the values of the future,” the dean of Seoul National University Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology said.

During the lecture at Gwangju’s Chonnam National University, Ahn quoted the argument of US economist Mancur Olson (1932~1998) that the views of small but organized interest groups tend to carry the day as a society grows.

Ahn previously urged voting just before the Seoul mayoral by-election October 2011, citing the example of the US civil rights activist Rosa Parks (1913~2005).

Analysts said Ahn, who hinted strongly at a jump into the political arena while talking about “presidential qualifications” during a lecture at Seoul National University on Mar. 27, appears poised to have some impact on voting rates among people in their twenties to forties with his renewed call for participation eight days before the 19th National Assembly elections.

Ahn also mentioned the example of California as described in US journalist Fareed Zakaria’s book “The Future of Freedom.” In California, where direct democracy is strongest in the US, a number of bills have been put up for referendum voting, but the real influence is enjoyed by wealthy interest groups that have the opportunity to promote their position through television advertisements and other media. As a result, the voting outcome is generally in line with the wishes of the wealthy interest groups.

Ahn characterized this as the “old system.” Speaking in a Mar. 27 lecture at Seoul National University, he described the so-called “Ahn Chul-soo phenomenon” as being “ultimately a clash between the old system and the values of the future.” “Parties that don’t reflect citizen views, a social structure where class mobility has been cut off, an economic system that results in greater disparities between rich and room and fails to create new jobs …, all of these represent the old system,” he said at the time.

During his Tuesday lecture, Ahn said voting provided an alternative in helping to overcome the state of affairs.

“Here is where we need a mature civic consciousness,” he said. “The power and determination to prevent things from going according to the wishes of small, wealthy, organized interest groups lies in the hands of people with power and will.”

Ahn also offered specific standards for candidate selection.

“I’d like to see the election of candidates who think about the people and interests of our country without succumbing to affiliation-based arguments and dwelling solely on factional interests, candidates who talk about the future instead of the past, candidates who are moderate and warm and mature in character rather than those who talk only about hatred, division, and anger,” he said.

Ahn went on to say, “We should be look at individuals rather than parties.”

“In places like Honam, Yeongnam, Chungcheong, and Seoul’ Gangnam, there is fixed and favored party. By expressing to politicians our belief that this can be replaced with the citizens’ choice, our choice, we make the values of the future a reality,” he said.

The title of Tuesday’s lecture was “The Future of Gwangju, the Future of Young People.” At the beginning of the lecture, Ahn noted that his wife was born in Suncheon of South Jeolla province and attended elementary school in Gwangju, while his mother-in-law still lives in Yeosu.

“I have a close connection with Gwangju and Jeolla,” he said.

Ahn went on to say, “Internationally, we are often praised as a rare case of succeeding in industralization and democratization at the same time, but I think that what we lost sight of in that process was a balance.”

“As a result, social and wealth disparities are severe, as is conflict between regions,” he said.

As ways of overcoming the situation, Ahn emphasized individual and local efforts as well as “protection and support from the national standpoint.” He mentioned the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident in Japan as an example, noting that the book “Nuclear Power Plants in Tokyo!” by Japanese journalist Takashi Hirose contained a passage reading, “People claim that nuclear power is safe, but if it is so safe, [plants] should be built in urban centers. In fact, it is not as safe as claimed.”

Ahn said, “All of the electricity produced at the Fukushima Nucler Power Plant was used by Tokyo, and it is human nature for the region that those who benefit have to feel indebted to the region that makes the sacrifice. If we want to gain strength, we need to implement a quota system when selecting a local public institution, with a feeling of gratitude to them.”

Ahn’s lecture took place before an enthusiastic crowd of about 1,500 in the main auditorium at Chonnam National University. The auditorium was filled with students an hour before the lecture began. Students sat in the aisles and on the stairs as well as seats, and some who could not find spaces there stood to listen to the talk. The university also had to arrange a live internet feed facility, where around 400 people went to see Ahn speak.

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