Tale of Two Lists
Korea's Future Is Not Bright Without Trust, Honesty
Power, money and sex ― these have moved humans like no other three words could hope. And if the way people create, distribute and share them define and characterize their community, the ``two lists" currently shaking up all of Korea show how distrustful and dishonest this society is ― particularly in its establishment.
The first of the two is the so-called Park Yeon-cha list. Park is a businessman with little schooling who was arrested for holding a drugs-and-sex party in the early 1990s. But he somehow came back to be one of the biggest political contributors to former President Roh Moo-hyun and his aides. His legal donations were the proverbial tip of an iceberg, however.
Park has bribed everyone deemed to be of any help to him ― if not right now then in the future ― including lawmakers of both ruling and opposition parties, bureaucrats and even police chiefs, prosecutors and judges. With connections in all three branches of the government and major political parties, nothing could stop him from raking in scores of billions of won in illegal investment gains. Park distributed part of the windfall profits as ``fodder for future projects.''
Bribery and corruption is a universal phenomenon, to varying degrees. But what's shocking with the ``Park list'' is not a single sector of this country's governing machine was free from the temptation of ``black money'' provided by a single source.
The other one, called the ``Jang Ja-yeon list," is about how those who have reached some influential positions were anxious to enjoy and demonstrate their hard-earned power by exploiting other humans ― young women thirsty for money and fame ― as little more than their playthings. Politicians, businesspeople and showbiz bigwigs, through the brokerage of entertainment agents, forced these actresses to serve at their parties, provide some ``inappropriate'' entertainment, and have sex with them.
There were times in feudal Korea when women were little better than belongings to men, but it seems their status has improved little in modern days. It is well known that during the years of the military dictatorship between the 1960s and '80s, female entertainers were all but ``government-provided waitresses'' for the powerful, and even for some state guests. The ``Jang list'' has only confirmed a long open secret in the entertainment industry, and that the only difference now is what creates this inhumane situation has changed from raw, naked power to money.
What's really astonishing was the reported inclusion of some media industry figures, including newspaper publishers, Internet media owners and program directors, on the list.
The burden of getting to the bottom of the bribery and sex scandals has once again fallen on the shoulders of the prosecution, part of which is not completely free from involvement of some sort on both lists. Competent prosecutors are pledging investigations that will ``leave no corners as sanctuaries.'' They must do so, but many observers of the scandals, including this page, can't help but be more than a little skeptical about satisfactory results, with past experience as a guide.
President Lee Myung-bak must order the most thorough investigations into all the people involved, in governing or opposition camps, and in legislative, administrative and judiciary branches, if for no other purpose than to avoid similar situations four or five years from now.
Among the eventual scalps could be some media moguls or senior prosecutors, but the investigators should be even more stern in handling them. A society has still hope as long as two key sectors ― the news media that uncovers irregularities and the prosecution that punishes them ― operate normally. Otherwise, it is doomed to collapse, and Korea appears to be edging perilously close to such sorry a state.