National leaders usually award medals, not receive them, while in office. Sometimes, they are conferred decorations, by foreign governments for their excellence or diplomatic achievements. But Korea has a unique tradition: Presidents receive medals just for what they are.
So the Cabinet approved a plan Tuesday to confer the country’s highest honor, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, on President Lee Myung-bak and first lady Kim Yoon-ok "for their contribution to national development.”
Most ex-presidents received the medal upon or right after their inauguration, by their predecessors’ perfunctory decisions. Were these in recognition of their hard-won election victories?
Former President Roh Moo-hyun, Lee’s immediate predecessor, quite rightly thought honoring leaders just because they took the highest office rather strange. So he decorated himself and his wife "toward the end of his tenure,” probably for their efforts over the past five years.
And Roh omitted to decide to decorate his successor, maybe thinking Lee could decorate himself, too. Now that Lee has also failed to make a similar decision for his successor, President-elect Park Geun-hye will have to follow her two predecessors’ example in about five years.
The gold and jeweled medals cost about 48 million won ($44,000) each, but money matters little. While we don’t want to appear stingy in recognizing the hard work of the chief executives, we can hardly know which is more awkward ― between the leaders’ receiving medals before even starting the job or honoring themselves for executing their bound duty.
In any case, the leaders reportedly put the medals around their necks with their own hands, because lower officials cannot do the job by protocol. It’s long past time to stop this funny practice. If the government is to maintain the tradition, the most natural way will be for presidents-in-waiting to decide ― really ― the decoration and confer medals on their predecessors at the new leaders’ inauguration.
Cynics say ex-presidents might have received medals as soon as they started in office because they wouldn’t be able to do so as the years go by. And most of the leaders can hardly expect acclamation at all unless they praise themselves. This is black humor but not entirely groundless, given there has not been a wholly successful former president either because of their own problems or those of their aides and relatives.
For how long will Koreans have to see their departing presidents with barely double-digit approval ratings decorate themselves? We hope Park will end her tenure with the highest recognition she can receive ― the people’s praise.