Speed, Vision and Message Key to Reform
By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
Cho Hai-hyung, dean of the corps of honorary consuls in South Korea, said the Lee Myung-bak government will need speed, vision and communication to realize successful reform and economic revival.
``The new government seems determined to bring reform and innovation in our society. But successful change and reform require high speed,'' Cho told The Korea Times Tuesday.
Though President-elect Lee is expected to face some opposition to his reform plans, he needs to complete them by pushing very quickly and hard, the dean added.
Cho also recommended Lee to show concrete goals and vision for the public so that people can understand and support a variety of new policies.
``In some cases, a leader can see his popularity drop due to his specific policy, but he should tough it out if he thinks it right,'' he said. ``At the same time, the leader will need ability to coordinate all the different voices.''
An experienced CEO, Cho also said Lee should deliver a clear message to the public that his goal of job creation and an economic growth rate of 6 percent are not only beneficial for the rich but also the poor. His point was that conglomerates together with small- and medium-sized companies would carry out economic development.
Another factor responsible for successful change and reform are human resources. But given Lee's pledge of a business-friendly government, it is desirable for him to hire more outside people from the business community in order to infuse private corporate-style reform in the government, according to Cho.
Turning to relations between management and unions, Cho stressed that the government must not allow any illegal strikes, which he believes creates a vicious cycle in management-labor relations.
Meanwhile, the dean suggested the development of human resources, investment, research and development, and new projects such as free economic zones as engines of economic development.
Particularly, Cho said Lee's plan to build a canal stretching the length of the country is a good example of projects to stimulate economic growth. But he stressed that the project should go through a thorough examination to see if it is economically viable.
There are 115 honorary consuls in Korea, who represent 95 countries, according to Cho. Most of them are businessmen assisting in government exchanges and leading non-government groups.
The honorary consuls are the leading figures of civic diplomacy ― for example, they contributed to Korea hosting international events such as the Yeosu Expo 2012.