No Reason for Despair

By Sandip Kumar Mishra

In a news item published in the Los Angeles Times recently, Korea was projected as a country where reports of various scandals involving people from different walks of life have become commonplace.

Korean ``obsession'' with success and ``overachievement syndrome'' are identified as the root causes.

There are certainly enough cases scrutinized recently that support the claim and they encompass political, business, art, entertainment and even academic fields. Undoubtedly, these exposures have a depressing impact on the morale of common people in Korea.

However, looking at these exposures in proper perspective provides a ray of hope.

Even though, apparently everyday revelations of a new scandal highlight the flaws of Korean society and politics, it should also be seen as proof of the growing transparency in public life, which might hurt Korean morale in the short-term but would provide a stabilizing and sustained foundation for future Korean success.

It is not that Korea has all of a sudden turned into a country of ``a scandal a day.'' The origin of it could be found in the growth of ``crony capitalism'' in Korea under the military dictatorship.

The phenomenon of crony capitalism denotes a trilateral close relationship between government, business and financial institutions that exhibit favoritism or lack of procedural methods to distribute benefits.

It is not the ``overachievement syndrome'' of the Korean psyche but a structured attempt by the political elite of that period to show that success is the only thing that matters.

The whole debate of ``means'' and ``ends'' was not found suitable by the regime, as it was against the very legitimacy of the authoritarian rule in the country. Thus Korean unidimensional stress on success could be attributed to a political construct which was suitable to the authoritarian political regime.

With the increase in democracy and growing transparency, inconsistencies arose in Korean society, politics and business operations. Increasingly, in a democratized and open society, the old practices became incompatible.

However, political and business cultures in the country, which had thoroughly internalized these practices as well as society in general, could not be transformed overnight.

A democratic, open and transparent polity and society are not the end products. They are, essentially, processes which are dynamic in nature.

The growing news reports about corruption, and their response that it should not be allowed to persist, is symbolic of an increasing awareness of people in the country.

If people who have been involved in illegal activities are being exposed and prosecuted, it is a positive sign for any society. It is without doubt better than being unreported and accepted as a normal way of life.

The accomplishments of Korea could and definitely should not be reduced to a concept like crony capitalism. There has been an untiring drive in the Korean psyche to prove itself on the world stage after a brutal phase of colonial humiliation, imposed division and bloody wars.

The drive to succeed has been a key factor which has made Korea a force to be reckoned with in the region and beyond.

Once the painful phase of current exposure and cleansing completes its course, the same syndrome is going to pull Korea further ahead in its march toward excellence.

The exposure of various scandals in Korea makes it obvious that nobody or no institution is above public scrutiny.

The former presidents of the country, the top policy advisor of the present government, the top official at the National Tax Service, the frontrunner presidential candidate, the owners and top executives of two of the biggest business groups of the country, as well as the president of a prestigious university and a number of professors all have been under public scrutiny.

It is a welcome sign which provides solace and satisfaction that people in high office are also not above the rule of law. In the long-term, it would become a lesson for everybody to refrain themselves from all kinds of corruption.

Thus, it is shortsighted to look at the phenomenon as a disappointing state of affairs in Korea. A historical sense and perspective evidently demonstrate that the painful phase of successive scandals in the country is, basically, a symbol of a confident, mature and strong Korea, which does not cover up its deficiencies.

By exposing these scandals and punishing culprits, the Korean overachievement drive would disassociate itself from a past political construct and be more careful in building a strong foundation of a dynamic Korea in future.

The author teaches at the department of East Asian studies, University of Delhi, India. He can be reached at sandipmishra10@gmail.com.