By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
Koreans are blessed to have a creative DNA that has spurred them to stand up to the pessimistic atmosphere and look for optimism, and this strength has largely contributed to them coming this far in terms of socio-political and economic status, observed a group of experts.
However, they warned that the people still have a long way to go and the road ahead might be even rougher and tougher.
The intellectuals' comments come at a time when the nation celebrates its 60th Liberation Day on Aug. 15.
In a summer evening on July 14 in downtown Seoul, Lee Eo-ryung, a former veteran newspaper editor and culture minister, said the people ``walked fast and sometimes had to run'' to reach their economic miracle, which others assumed impossible to achieve, over the past six decades.
``It's time to take off,'' the energetic gentleman told an audience of some 300 citizens having gathered at the 60-day speech series event prepared by the Committee for the 60th Anniversary of the Republic of Korea.
Sixty established speakers including academics, a renowned travel writer, and architects have or will have presented their thoughts at the outdoor speeches since mid-July.
``Koreans are people who have found hope amid disappointment. We have wisdom that helps us look beyond a skeptical environment. People donated gold jewelry to the government in an effort to rescue the nation from a crisis in 1998 when it was hit hard by a disastrous economic malaise,'' Lee continued.
``Volunteers nationwide flocked to Taean, a small fishery town in South Chungcheong Province, whose beaches were contaminated by an oil spill last year, to remove debris for local fishermen whose lives are heavily dependent on the ocean,'' he recalled
After Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, a democratic government was established three years later.
Kim Jin-hyun, a chairman of the executive committee of the ad hoc body, characterized the past six decades as the ``most successful industrial revolution by any standards.''
``We are the only nation that has achieved successful industrialization among approximately 140 countries having gained independence from their colonial masters in 1945,'' he said in his speech in May.
Kim stated the country meets all core socio-economic and political development standards such as democracy, industrialization, cultural diversity, an advanced education system, and science and technology achievements.
The hard-working people achieved double-digit economic growth during the industrialization period starting from the late 1960s, which transformed the agrarian society into an advanced economy. Global economists called the accomplishments a miracle.
In his speech in June 2005, U.S. President George W. Bush said, ``Only 30 years ago, South Korea's per capita GDP was equal to that of many African countries. Thanks to export-led growth, South Korea is as rich as many European countries. This example can be multiplied throughout the world and lift great numbers of people out of poverty.''
Government-led growth boosted the nation's GDP from $13 billion in 1953 to $9,699 million in 2007.
According to the Bank of Korea, prices have sharply gone up over the six decades: the price of beef (500g) has risen to 13,537 won in 2007 from 255.8 won in 1945; a bottle of Soju, a local spirit, went up to 942 won from 83 won; rice (80 kg) to 160,000 won from 8,875 won.
Especially, commodity prices had skyrocketed between 1945 and 1948, resulting in a deadly 1,000 percentage points of inflation.
In 1945, the price of beef was cheaper than that of pork, but the trend was reversed in 1948.
Eggs, which were considered quality expensive food then, were much more expensive than public transportation fee in 1945. Now people can take a bus for the price of five eggs.
The condensed industrialization, which transformed the agrarian society into one of best practices in the developing world, came at a price.
The income gap between the upper and lower income classes has increased.
Confrontational labor-management relations make it difficult to find compromise, and militant unions sought strikes when their demands were not accepted. As a consequence, lost working days dealt a blow to the economy, which is heavily dependent on exports.
Economic growth came at the expense of democracy, particularly during the industrialization period.
Political repression led student activists and citizens to call for democracy on the streets through protests against the government.
In 1987, often described as a milestone year for democracy in the country, the student-led democratic movement drove then ruling party leader Roh Tae-woo, who was later elected president, to make the June 29 declaration ensuring the pubic would choose their president through direct voting.
Chaebol, which were supported by the government at that time, borrowed about $150 billion in foreign currency for their business expansion in China, Eastern European countries and Russia and they were unable to repay the interest due, which finally led the nation to face a liquidity crisis in 1997.
Former Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew hinted in his book, ``From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965-2000,'' that condensed political and economic growth are behind the growing pains the nation is suffering now.
``A significant reason for South Korea's present political, economic and social difficulties was that the transition from martial law to free-for-all democratic politics was too sudden,'' Lee observed.
``If the Koreans had democratized more gradually and had first put in place the necessary legislation to modulate demonstrations and protests, the people might have been less prone to excesses in their protests, especially the angry confrontations of workers and students with the police,'' he said.
Experts say the golden rules that produced a growth first mentality, leading the nation to achieve an economic miracle over the past six decades, will not necessary guide it to a thriving future.
Professor Kim Kwang-woong of Seoul National University forecast that artificial intelligence robots whose IQ is as high as that of monkeys might replace civil servants in 2040. ``The role of government will be decreased, while the influence of civic groups will increase in the future.''
Professor Lim Seong-ho of Kyung Hee University in Seoul said the role of political parties has revealed their limitations as representatives as they seek what he called ``the going public strategy'' to get their voices heard in the legislative body, which was evident in recent months over the stalemate on the resumption of American beef imports.
Lim said the nation should find an alternative solution to resolve the problem of poor representation at the National Assembly.