What a man must do to change

By Kim Ji-soo

It’s easy for women to affect change. Untie their hair, take off the glasses and put on fresh makeup and clothes, and voila ... a whole new person. I am not sure how the opposite sex goes about to bring about change.

President Lee Myung-bak hasn’t changed his glasses or attire, but there is a certain shift in his words these days. Into the second half of his single five-year tenure, the President who has largely been identified as pro-conglomerate and pro-market is stressing a “win-win” situation between large businesses and better policies for the less privileged.

The hottest phrase these days is his slogan of a “fair society.” The words first appeared when Lee made his Aug. 15 Liberation Day speech. Sounding a bit like Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, he allotted a big part of his speech to the theme of a fair society.

The following is a portion on the fair society.

“Now is high time for us to pay attention to the values of a fair society. In a fair society, equal opportunities are given to everyone, without exception, both from the very beginning and throughout the process of pursuing goals. However, each individual has to take responsibility for the outcome of his or her undertakings. A fair society encourages the values of individual freedom and uniqueness, diligence and creativity.

In a fair society, yet other opportunities are given to those who are left behind. Those who fall down once can stand up again. They can still achieve a triumphant rise. No one remains behind or in the lead forever.

In such a society, the winner does not take all. One region grows in harmony with other regions. Labor and management work together for mutual progress. Large and small businesses maintain mutually supportive relations. Low-income families and the vulnerable in society do not suffer disadvantages.

A fair society, more than anything else, constitutes the ethical and practical infrastructure for the advancement of the Republic.”

The slogan has become all the more significant in light of latest developments in government. Three of Lee’s political appointees including prime minister-nominee voluntarily withdrew their names after coming under heavy criticism at the National Assembly over ethics.

Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan also stepped down when it was discovered that the ministry meted out preferential treatment so that his daughter could pass a test to earn a middle-level position dealing with trade affairs. Regarding the incident involving the foreign minister, Lee specifically said Yu’s case could have been dismissed as a longstanding practice in the past. “By fair society standards, however, the scandal is intolerable.”

In a certain sense, it’s reassuring to see the nation’s chief executive take a stern stance. Under Korea’s headlong drive for industrialization and political democratization, a push for a fair society or societal democratization was put on the back burner. Getting into better schools, getting a better job and owning a better house were the ultimate aims.

These goals were justified because the country and the people were so poor, particularly after the devastating Korean War (1950-1953). There wasn’t much debate about how one reached these goals; the end justified the means. It’s due time that the country pay attention to ensuring fair opportunity for all and also to playing fair.

The President has seized on a good theme as he steers his administration in the second half of his tenure. Nevertheless, he, I am sure, knows that he will bear the responsibility of projecting fairness in reality as well as through slogans. Some critics are wary of his latest fair society mantra thinking it might tilt toward populism that may end up ringing hollow.

Also, some governing camp politicians have expressed concern that the mantra could be used politically. But more than six decades after a devastating war, after six decades of dizzying development, maybe the time is now for us to get the parts of our society right.