Excuse me, Madam, but …

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Wed, November 29, 2023 | 02:21

Editor’s Note

Excuse me, Madam, but …

Posted : 2013-02-19 17:18

Updated : 2013-02-19 17:18

By Oh Young-jin
Managing Editor

I don't want to spoil President-elect Park Geun-hye's sense of anticipation nor do I intend to burden her with another piece of unsolicited advice ahead of her inauguration next Monday.

The new president deserves the best of all wishes and encouragement in order to use the mandate given to her confidently and start her tenure in office on a strong note.

For critics, I hope you will be silent, at least for the time being.

After all, we will get our chance to speak over the next five years.

Still, I would like President-elect Park to bear with me for a moment and read on.

My interest and concern is about maintaining a global perspective from the start of her governance.

I don't worry about her. Park is friends with a number of figures of international stature: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese leader Xi Jiping to name two.

She will surely be able to quickly establish positive working relationships with U.S. President Barack Obama or even Russian President Vladimir Putin. She has the experience to play in the major league of global politics.

But as she is no doubt aware, one person can only do so much and there needs to be other people to form an extensive global network that can promote Korea abroad _ people who can work on her behalf using skill and initiative.

Individuals such as Han Seung-soo, the inaugural prime minister under the current President Lee Myung-bak, Sakong Il, former president of Korea International Trade Association and chief organizer of the 2010 G20 meeting in Seoul, Jun Kwang-woo, current president of the National Pension Service and former chairman of the Financial Supervisory Commission and, in a different domain, Choi Jung-hwa, leader of the nonprofit Korea Image Communication Institute (CICI), a cross-border initiative to let Korea know more about our country.

In a broad sense, the appointment of Kim Jeong-hoon, a Korean-American businessman, as Minister of Future Creative Science, appears to be a step in the right direction.

Kim, who emigrated to the United States at the age of 15, has risen through hardship to achieve the ‘American dream' and symbolizes Koreans' can-do spirit.

Putting him in charge of her super ministry aimed at addressing her cardinal goal of creating jobs and preparing for future engines of national growth shows Park's pursuit of talent above other priority considerations when making senior appointments.

She should go one step further by surrounding herself with people who have a rounded international perspective.

For all his many flaws, it is hard to dispute that President Lee Myung-bak has raised the nation's international profile. His success lies in his ability as a national salesman, backed by a good cast of supporters such as Han, Sakong and Jun.

Former Prime Minister Han helped in Lee's efforts to secure natural resources around the world and promoted the green growth initiative, an integral project for the Lee administration. Han did a good job during his two functions but, more importantly, he has in the process forged new ties and strengthened existing ties with the world's movers and shakers. Han earned his doctorate in economics at the University of York in the United Kingdom, became the foreign minister in 2001 and served as president of the United Nations Security Council. He also served as special envoy on climate change for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Sakong contributed to the success of the G20 meeting in 2010, a watershed moment that heralded Korea's advancement into the ranks of advanced countries and showcased its leadership ability on the global stage. With a UCLA Ph.D. in economics, Sakong rubbed shoulders with figures in fields of global business, academia and politics, made countless trips around the world as part of the G20 meeting preparations.

Jun is also one of the most sought-after Korean big-scale finance experts, seeing his ongoing stint with NPS as part of his civil duty. He worked at the World Bank where he served in the role of key counsel and ran a big financial firm.

Choi, a professor who served as presidential translator, is unique, playing the role of self-appointed "soft diplomat" to promote Korea abroad. A trip to her annual CICI awards can help one appreciate the direction by which our nongovernmental diplomacy should go.

There are not many like them and they should be regarded as precious resources for the Park Geun-hye government to take advantage of. Of course, my suggestions should be interpreted to encourage the President-elect to find and foster Korea's new corps of influential global figures.

But I would hate to see Park repeat her predecessors' mistakes of trying hurriedly to find people with international connections only after a serious incident takes place. We have a time bomb in North Korea so it is not too early to gather our internationally experienced people together. Prevention is better than cure, right? Right!