[Editorial] Democracy sorely missing from Park’s inaugural address

Posted on : 2013-02-26 15:19 KST Modified on : 2013-02-26 15:19 KST

In her Feb. 25 inaugural address, President Park Geun-hye offered a blueprint for her administration’s approach over the next five years and her governance goals, principles, and vision. She introduced the “catchphrases”: economic revival, citizen happiness, and flourishing culture, vowing to “do my utmost to build a Republic of Korea that is prosperous and where everyone is happy.”

Words like “the public,” “era,” “happiness,” and “creation” came up frequently in the address. There were also no fewer than four references to the “Miracle on the Han River,” a symbol of the nation’s growth under the leadership of her father, Park Chung-hee. Not once, however, did she bring up the topics of democracy, unity, reform, or human rights. It is enough to have one asking just where the focus of her administration is going to be.

The “national happiness” that Park vowed to achieve will require overcoming the ravages of the statism that emerged in the elder Park’s day and has lingered until today. Her saying that “No matter how much the country advances, such gains would be meaningless if the lives of the people remained insecure” reflects a more general contemporary perception that the focus in governance needs to be shifted from the state to its people. Yet the content of her address raises serious questions about whether she plans to use the methods of her father’s era to achieve this happiness.

This is especially true of her references to a “Second Miracle on the Han River,” in which she boasted of the “the unwavering ‘can do’ spirit of our people.” She did bring up economic democratization as one of two key elements in economic revival, the other being a creative economy. This may have been her attempt to smooth over the flap over failing to honor her economic democratization pledges, but the focus was still set squarely on the creative economy part. The message she seemed to send was that she is determined to take the economy to a new level through the newly created Ministry of Future Creation and Science the way her father achieved the Miracle on the Han River with fast-paced, government-led growth.

Change in politics was a big theme throughout the presidential election, but there was no talk of it in Park’s address. Even though the ceremony was called a “Festival of National Unity,” the new President didn’t express any plans for unity, reconciliation, or the bridging of party differences. It’s also awkward for her to be talking about unity at a time when her nominations for Cabinet and key positions in the Blue House are igniting such controversy.

But the most distressing thing about the address was the lack of any mention at all of democracy or human rights. There was no dedication to the people who sacrificed themselves to achieve democracy in South Korea. All we got instead was a tip of the hat to “German mines” and the “torrid deserts of the Middle East” in a reference to the “extraordinary achievement of combing industrialization and democratization.” Predictably, she had nothing to say about the improvements in the democracy and human rights situation that are needed to say. It’s troubling to think we might have five more years of the economy-over-democracy mindset to look forward to.

 

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