hankyoreh

A presidential council on social unity charged with addressing the division and conflict that currently plagues South Korean society is to be formally launched tomorrow. Its appointees include Goh Kun, former mayor of Seoul and prime minister, members from the private sector and a full array of prominent figures from different regions and fields, which by itself would seem to give the impression that our society is on its way to achieving social unity. However, it remains in question whether a society that is tatters can truly be unified simply through the creation of such a body.

No one will deny that social unity is a necessary prerequisite for the nation’s progress and for its people’s happiness. In recent years, South Korea has dealt with constant conflict and fissures, including severe divisions between the Yeongnam and Honam regions, progressives and conservatives, labor and management. The country has suffered tremendous costs as a result of these conflicts. If the energy wasted in fighting had been channeled instead into the development of the nation, we would be living in a far better society than we are now. In this sense, the fact this administration is paying attention to social unity and even going so far as to create a special government body for it is a welcome development.

However, one has to wonder about the effectiveness of attempting to realize social unity through the creation of a presidential council. As was seen with the issue of revising the Sejong City Development Plan, the Lee Myung-bak administration creates a presidential council every time there is a task in need of solution. In too many instances, however, the councils have functioned to prop up the administration’s policies rather than staying true to the spirit the situation requires of them. There is a strong chance that this presidential council on social unity will lean more towards the position that South Korea’s society must unite around the administration’s approach to governance, rather than towards social unity in the truest sense. Should this happen, the result, far from achieving social unity, will instead be one of greater disorder. Furthermore, a presidential council without executive power is doomed to remain in the role of serving as a foil for the administration’s ministries.

A bigger problem is the fact that the Lee administration itself is the main cause of the conflict and division that plague South Korea’s society. As soon as it took office, the administration set about driving out figures from the previous administration with a total disregard for the law, forced through media legislation to create an administration-friendly media landscape, intimidated public sector unions from striking, and is pushing ahead with the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project despite objections from the general public. It is measures like these that have thrust South Korea’s society into a maelstrom of conflict and division, and there is no way to achieve social unity without addressing these actions that have been taken by the Lee administration. If the presidential council on social unity really intends to work towards achieving unity in our society, it must usher forth a thorough revision of the administration’s approach to governance. Otherwise, it will be nothing more than yet another foil, and all the talk about social unity will remain nothing more than empty rhetoric.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]