One Year in Office
President Needs to Overcome Crisis of Leadership
President Lee Myung-bak marks the first anniversary of his inauguration Wednesday. He must have learned much by trial and error since he took office. He has not brought easy change to Korean society, as he intended to do. He garnered a landslide victory in the December 2007 election on the ticket of the conservative Grand National Party, putting an end to 10 years of rule by liberal Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun.
Early on, Lee enjoyed lavish public support due to high expectations that he would resuscitate the faltering economy. Voters were fascinated by his ``747'' campaign pledge: to achieve an annual growth rate of 7 percent, increase per capita income to $40,000 and transform the nation into the world's seventh largest economy.
He must now humbly admit his failure to deliver on his promise to save Korea Inc. It is unfortunate that the worldwide turbulence has shattered his ambitious plan for economic revival. Of course, it's not his fault the Wall Street meltdown last summer spread to other countries and spilled over to the real economy.
Lee and his economic policymakers can say that they have done their best to take timely and appropriate measures to minimize the fallout of the global financial and economic turmoil and stimulate the economy. But Lee needs to acknowledge a series of policy failures, including the rapid depreciation of the won against the U.S. dollar and the slow pace of corporate restructuring. The Lee administration cannot avoid criticism that it has been long on words and short on action.
As critics point out, a lack of presidential leadership has added fuel to the current economic woes. From the start, the Lee administration got into trouble due to the nomination of unqualified figures as Cabinet ministers and the resumption of U.S. beef imports. Under the slogan of pragmatism, Lee has taken a tougher policy toward North Korea, which forced the reclusive state to cut all inter-Korean ties and threaten to wage a border clash.
Pundits say that the country faces three major crises: the economic crisis, the inter-Korean crisis and the crisis of democracy. Leadership is key to overcoming them. Thus, it is urgent that President Lee exercise this better to speed up economic recovery, make a breakthrough in ties with the North and get democracy back on track. As seen in candlelit rallies against American beef, the government lacks two-way communication with the people. It is necessary for Lee to change his top-down, bulldozer-like leadership style to better listen to the people's voices and restore their trust.
Lee is entering into the second year of his presidency and has now four years left in his term. It's time for him to review and learn from his first to better serve the nation. We hope he makes further efforts to brace for his opponents and promote social integration and national harmony. His success as president will depend on how he overcomes his leadership crisis.