[In-Depth Look] I Want to Live in a Sensible World

Ham Hyeri / Journalist · Cultural Critic

I wandered around for a long time, unable to focus on work. The novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) still shows no signs of subsiding, creating unrest, and the news I received made my heart uneasy. The undisclosed truth?what could it be? Suspicions of some grand conspiracy arose because all these sudden events were utterly incomprehensible by common sense. We were taught to value life. The lives of others and my own are equally precious. Yet many influential politicians chose extreme methods to leave this world. The dead cannot speak, so the exact reasons why they sacrificed their lives remain unknown, and the truth is buried.

Until just a few days ago, Mayor Park Won-soon of Seoul was busy responding to COVID-19 and stabilizing the real estate market. The news of his extreme choice shocked not only the country but also the international community. Earlier, the news that Mayor Park had been criminally accused of sexual harassment by a former secretary was also deeply shocking. It is presumed that this incident was the direct cause that drove him to death, but it is not fully accepted. Regardless of support for him, how can a citizen comprehend that the next leading presidential candidate, responsible for governing Seoul with a population of 10 million and a budget of 40 trillion won, simply left home with a backpack and ended his life?

He was known as a famous feminist in women's circles and actively pursued women-friendly policies even after becoming mayor. It was obvious that his morality would be damaged by the sexual harassment allegations against a former secretary. Nevertheless, covering everything up with death is unacceptable no matter how one tries to think positively. The secretary claimed to have been sexually harassed since 2017, so why reveal it to the world at this point? This is also an incomprehensible part. If wrongdoing is proven after careful examination, the person should live and pay the price for their sins. The mayor of Seoul, the capital of a country notorious for having the world's highest suicide rate and frequent political downfalls due to sexual harassment, was accused of sexual harassment and took his own life. We must reflect on whether holding a Seoul Metropolitan City funeral (葬) and announcing it to the world was a reasonable decision.

On the day Mayor Park’s body was found, the government announced its twenty-second real estate measure. It only added to the confusion. Since it will change again soon, there is no need to know the details, but in summary, it raises the comprehensive real estate tax (a holding tax), acquisition tax, and capital gains tax (transaction taxes) all at once to fundamentally block the purchase and ownership of homes not intended for actual residence. Although the timing of the capital gains tax increase was postponed until June next year, it should have been predictable that raising both the comprehensive real estate tax and capital gains tax simultaneously would freeze the market. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance Hong Nam-ki stated on his Facebook, “We will firmly implement policies to eradicate speculative demand, protect genuine buyers, and provide tailored responses.” Given that the current administration’s real estate policies have instead fueled rising housing prices in Seoul, it is hard to expect his pledge to be realized.

The reason for the government’s failure in real estate policy so far is simple: it is not common sense. In South Korea, which adopts market capitalism, the government excludes market principles and imposes punitive taxes, threatening those who own property to give it up. With whips raised everywhere, it is difficult to expect policy effects. Although the increased comprehensive real estate tax rates on multi-homeowners and corporate-owned homes are estimated to raise tax revenue by well over 1 trillion won, the government denies this. Can denying what even a three-year-old child knows solve anything? What the public wants is an answer on how the additional tax revenue will be used wisely. The response to the registered rental business system, designed to legalize the rental market and supply quality rental housing, is also beyond common sense. When it was pointed out that the system was abused for tax evasion and gap investment, it was effectively dismantled before the ink even dried. Can such impulsive measures be called policy?

Aristotle defined humans as rational animals, but looking at what is happening in our society today, contradictions and paradoxes are tangled, creating only confusion. As a citizen, I want to live in a predictable society. If that is difficult, I make a more realistic request: I would be satisfied if things were at least understandable within the bounds of common sense. The hundreds of thousands of people who responded to the petition on the Blue House National Petition Board to cancel Mayor Park’s Seoul Metropolitan City funeral (葬) likely share the hope that those responsible for the country’s politics and administration will uphold ‘common sense.’

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.