Chief executive must reread his inaugural address
President Yoon Suk Yeol has marked his first anniversary in office.
Yoon started his presidency a year ago, vowing to restore fairness and common sense and conduct a politics of unity.
Has he kept the promise ― or struggled to do so? Almost two-thirds of voters say no. Many surveys show negative ratings are nearly twice as high as positive ones. Some think he went in exactly opposite ways.
Yoon got off on the wrong foot. The first thing he did after taking office was relocate the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to the defense ministry compound, citing unconvincing reasons. It was as if U.S. President Joe Biden had moved the White House to the Pentagon without saying much.
Yoon said he "returned Cheong Wa Dae to the public." But few people had asked for it or even wanted it. Most are still wondering why. The president also said he wanted to communicate with people more directly. Yet Yoon held just one official press conference for the entire year. To be fair, he tried to communicate with the public by allowing reporters to doorstep him on his way to work. However, that was discontinued. What kind of open and direct communication did he have in mind?
This was only the beginning of his assertive leadership, however. Yoon has yet to apologize "formally" to the crowd disaster in Seoul last October, which killed at least 159, mostly young people. He sacked a few low-level officials, but kept his interior minister and police chief responsible for public safety. Is this fair or even sensical? The chief executive must revisit his inaugural pledges.
As this paper pointed out in a front-page story, Yoon spent the whole year dividing the world, including his own country, into friends and foes, or right and wrong. Nothing shows this better than his diplomatic report card, where Yoon seems to have given himself a perfect score. Yes, he firmed up the alliance with America and relinked almost severed ties with Japan. However, to reaffirm existing friendships, he turned essential partners like China and Russia into foes. Was that practical, let alone wise?
Ordinary South Koreans think more about their lunch menu than potential attacks from the North. The economy outweighs diplomacy and security. Yoon's economic performance was far from satisfactory in this regard. He may as well blame rising protectionist trends and the post-pandemic slump. But this is no time for fiscal austerity or tax cuts for big businesses and wealthy individuals. Medium- to low-income families are squeezed amid dwindling handouts, which will determine parliamentary polls next year more than anything else.
More problematic is the "politics of division" we are witnessing.
There is a split in society, dividing people by region, ideology, gender and generation. The result: Yoon's three major reforms of labor, pension and education have either gone astray or not even taken the first step. Each task requires endless persuasion to balance and harmonize conflicting interests. Top-down, one-way approaches get nowhere.
In the most profound sense, the most worrying issue is the regression of "freedom and democracy" ― the two values this conservative leader supposedly represents.
In a true democracy, freedom of speech prevails. As noted earlier, Yoon gave only one official press conference in a year. He skipped holding other ones on the New Year and his first anniversary. "I don't want to boast noisily," he said. But Yoon replaced "direct communications" with nationally televised speeches lasting up to 23 minutes. Is he too humble or too arrogant?
Yoon did not meet his opposition counterpart even once, something none of his predecessors did. He cites the opposition leader's status as a suspect in a corruption investigation. However, the prosecutor-turned-president must know best the presumption of innocence principle. A true democratic leader who puts the country above all must meet with anyone, be they opposition politicians or North Korean leaders.
We believe all this is not what Yoon intended a year ago. He needed time to transform from a prosecutor to a president.
However, if Yoon spends the remaining four years doing so, it will be a tragedy for the nation ― and himself.
President Yoon Suk Yeol has marked his first anniversary in office.
Yoon started his presidency a year ago, vowing to restore fairness and common sense and conduct a politics of unity.
Has he kept the promise ― or struggled to do so? Almost two-thirds of voters say no. Many surveys show negative ratings are nearly twice as high as positive ones. Some think he went in exactly opposite ways.
Yoon got off on the wrong foot. The first thing he did after taking office was relocate the presidential office from Cheong Wa Dae to the defense ministry compound, citing unconvincing reasons. It was as if U.S. President Joe Biden had moved the White House to the Pentagon without saying much.
Yoon said he "returned Cheong Wa Dae to the public." But few people had asked for it or even wanted it. Most are still wondering why. The president also said he wanted to communicate with people more directly. Yet Yoon held just one official press conference for the entire year. To be fair, he tried to communicate with the public by allowing reporters to doorstep him on his way to work. However, that was discontinued. What kind of open and direct communication did he have in mind?
This was only the beginning of his assertive leadership, however. Yoon has yet to apologize "formally" to the crowd disaster in Seoul last October, which killed at least 159, mostly young people. He sacked a few low-level officials, but kept his interior minister and police chief responsible for public safety. Is this fair or even sensical? The chief executive must revisit his inaugural pledges.
As this paper pointed out in a front-page story, Yoon spent the whole year dividing the world, including his own country, into friends and foes, or right and wrong. Nothing shows this better than his diplomatic report card, where Yoon seems to have given himself a perfect score. Yes, he firmed up the alliance with America and relinked almost severed ties with Japan. However, to reaffirm existing friendships, he turned essential partners like China and Russia into foes. Was that practical, let alone wise?
Ordinary South Koreans think more about their lunch menu than potential attacks from the North. The economy outweighs diplomacy and security. Yoon's economic performance was far from satisfactory in this regard. He may as well blame rising protectionist trends and the post-pandemic slump. But this is no time for fiscal austerity or tax cuts for big businesses and wealthy individuals. Medium- to low-income families are squeezed amid dwindling handouts, which will determine parliamentary polls next year more than anything else.
More problematic is the "politics of division" we are witnessing.
There is a split in society, dividing people by region, ideology, gender and generation. The result: Yoon's three major reforms of labor, pension and education have either gone astray or not even taken the first step. Each task requires endless persuasion to balance and harmonize conflicting interests. Top-down, one-way approaches get nowhere.
In the most profound sense, the most worrying issue is the regression of "freedom and democracy" ― the two values this conservative leader supposedly represents.
In a true democracy, freedom of speech prevails. As noted earlier, Yoon gave only one official press conference in a year. He skipped holding other ones on the New Year and his first anniversary. "I don't want to boast noisily," he said. But Yoon replaced "direct communications" with nationally televised speeches lasting up to 23 minutes. Is he too humble or too arrogant?
Yoon did not meet his opposition counterpart even once, something none of his predecessors did. He cites the opposition leader's status as a suspect in a corruption investigation. However, the prosecutor-turned-president must know best the presumption of innocence principle. A true democratic leader who puts the country above all must meet with anyone, be they opposition politicians or North Korean leaders.
We believe all this is not what Yoon intended a year ago. He needed time to transform from a prosecutor to a president.
However, if Yoon spends the remaining four years doing so, it will be a tragedy for the nation ― and himself.
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