President Wants Serious Talks to End Unproductive Politics

The following is the gist of an address President Lee Myung-bak delivered on the occasion of the 64th Liberation Day which fell on Saturday. The speech was titled ``the Spirit of Korean Independence." ― ED.

What is clear to us is that there is no way we can become an advanced nation without achieving sound politics.

Over the past months, I have been listening to the leaders of many social groups in Korea, including senior politicians and religious leaders.

Everyone had different diagnoses and suggested different prescriptions, but there was one common theme in what they said: Korean politics must change.

I will take these comments to heart and will make even greater efforts to achieve social integration. But I would also like to urge you, the people of Korea, to play a more active role in bringing Korean politics to world standards.

I believe the key to making our politics reach world standards is in making it more transparent and productive. It is true that transparency has increased in this field throughout the years. But we still have a long way to go.

I was the first Korean presidential candidate ever that did not receive money illegally from any corporation and ended the vicious cycle that had been going on in Korean politics till then. I would also once again like to take this opportunity to pledge that I will never take any illegal funds.

In addition, I will never tolerate any of my relatives accepting favors and will make sure that this pledge is carried out by reinforcing the supervisory system.

Productive politics puts the people and the running of the country at its center. Of course, at the core of the democratic system are elections, but a sad fact is that Korea simply has too many elections, one after another, and every time we have an election we see a deepening of conflicts between parties, regions and social classes.

There is not a single year that passes without seeing a national election. These frequent elections oftentimes serve as an obstacle to running the country. It's about time we have a serious talk about reducing the number of elections to a reasonable level.

At the root of unproductive politics is regionalism. The current election system worsens regionalism and encourages elected politicians to focus only on regional interests. This, no doubt, undermines political productivity. The administrative districts that were established some 100 years ago are only serving to reinforce this phenomenon and have become an obstacle to efficient regional development.

On various occasions, I have emphasized the need to redefine electoral jurisdictions. The opposition camp has expressed its own voice on the need for such reform.

At the upcoming session of the National Assembly's Special Committee on Reorganizing Administrative Districts, my administration will explain its stance and will respect whatever the National Assembly decides. A concrete action plan must be laid out at the National Assembly's upcoming regular session. Furthermore, the Administration intends to support those regions that will integrate themselves voluntarily, in the hopes of speeding the process up.

Political reform is no easy task. I would like to urge both the ruling and opposition camps to view the issues from the perspective of the people. It might be a bit of a challenge, but please look beyond the interests of just the party and consider what is good for the country's future.

I mentioned in my New Year's address that I would be running the government this year under the assumption that we are in an economic emergency. I also promised that I would make sure the policies formulated would help ease the pain that people feel from the worsened economic conditions. We are in the process of delivering on this promise.

My administration has put in place various measures to help the working class get through these hard times. These include such things as providing help to mothers in need of child care, to job seekers and to college students who are having a hard time paying tuition.

It is also working on a housing policy that allows working-class citizens, who so far have not been able to own a home, to see their dreams come true. Whether they are street vendors or contract laborers, those who are in dire need of a little cash will also be seeing their worries eased. The five indices that will let us gauge the quality of life for the working class ― namely, income, employment, education, housing and safety ― will be reviewed regularly.

I would also like to take this opportunity to urge North Korea once again, to realize that nuclear weapons cannot guarantee its security, but are rather an obstacle to a better future for them.

I hope the North and South will have a candid and frank dialogue about what it takes for North Korea to give up nuclear weapons. I hope to seek a way that allows North Korea to defend itself, but also allows both the North and South to prosper together.

When the North shows such determination, my administration will come up with a new peace initiative for the Korean Peninsula. We will actively seek an international cooperative program, to ensure economic development in the North and enhance the quality of life for the North Korean people.

We will establish a high-level meeting between the two Koreas to realize a common economic community in the coming years, and pursue a development project focused on five major areas ― economy, education, finance, infrastructure and quality of life ― in cooperation with other countries involved and international organizations.

Along with the de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the reduction of conventional weapons must also be discussed. It is unprecedented for such numbers of heavy artilleries and troops to be amassed along the narrow 4-kilometer width of the DMZ for more than half a century.

How can we possibly talk about reconciliation and cooperation when we have millions of weapons aimed at each other on trigger alert?

Only when we reduce the number of weapons and troops and re-deploy them rearward, will we be able to take a step forward to genuine peace.

Also, if the North and South reduce conventional weapons and troops, enormous resources will be freed up for better economies on both sides. Now is the time for the North and South to come to the table and talk about those issues.

I would like to say clearly that my administration is ready to start talks and cooperation with the North over all issues between us, at any time, at any level.

Let us take this opportunity, as we mark the 90th anniversary of the establishment of our government in exile, the 64th anniversary of liberation and the 61st anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Korea, to make a promise to ourselves to make this country a strong presence in the world.

Korea is now just about to enter the throngs of advanced countries. The Lee Myung-bak administration will do its best to lay the foundation for a country standing tall in the world.

What we envision is a country that makes happiness an achievable reality for everyone. What we envision is a society that has at its foundation ethics, values and consideration for others. We do not just aim for a society that is abundant in materialistic terms.

We aim for one that is mature enough to look beyond that. Being divided amongst ourselves makes us smaller, while coming together makes us greater. If we cannot overcome the divisions and conflict among ourselves, we will not be able to move forward. Only when we take our neighbor's hand with an open heart can we see a bigger, greater Korea.