[Opinion] Korea in December 2020 - The Good King Who Became a Foolish King

Isun Byung, Senior Member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea

1.

In the winter of 2017, the first year of the current administration, a fishing boat sank in the early morning in the West Sea. The next day, before starting the Blue House senior secretaries' meeting, the president held a moment of silence to mourn the victims and said, "Regardless of the reasons, the failure to prevent the accident and the failure to rescue are ultimately the responsibility of the state, and the state's responsibility for the lives and safety of its people should be considered unlimited." Critical media wrote that the new government, grateful for the Sewol ferry disaster, was responding very sensitively to this accident.

Having experience in construction site safety management, I read this article and thought, "What are they planning to do from now on?" It is difficult to realize that the state takes unlimited responsibility for safety accidents that kill dozens of people daily, but what is even more perplexing is how they will decide whether to hold moments of silence in the future. The king's position requires enduring tears and suppressing laughter. Various safety accidents continued afterward, but there were no more articles about moments of silence at the Blue House.

They say this is the ninth investigation into the Sewol ferry. So far, 65 billion won of public money has been spent. It seems that taking unlimited responsibility is this difficult. In June of the year following the Sewol accident, a cruise ship sank in China, killing over 400 people. There was an article that Premier Li Keqiang was directing the rescue efforts on site. After that, there were no more articles. This happened in the People's Republic.

2.

There are commonalities in household, business, and national finances. A good housewife always sets aside money for children's tuition and unexpected large expenses. The same goes for companies. They must invest in research and development for the next product, and since markets are ever-changing, securing reserves is fundamental to successful management. If this foundation collapses, the company ends up in debt. There was an article stating that companies with large reserves are pressured to invest through taxation. However, I have never heard that deficits from such investments are covered by taxes. The same applies to the state. Pursuing income-led growth and minimum wage policies to create a people-first country, the government has been spending the money it had saved. Last year, nearly half of the income of low-income groups came from government support. Having an empty pocket is painful, but the sense of defeat and dependency can destroy the spirit of self-help and independence built over the past half-century.

The initial investment disappeared without a trace, and before the main funds could be released, COVID-19 struck. Truly, a large sum had to be spent. Government budgets have increased by about 40 trillion won annually since 2018. This year, the original budget was 512 trillion won, but due to the COVID-19 situation and others, it increased by about 34 trillion won to 545 trillion won. The government budget for next year, 558 trillion won, has passed the National Assembly. Some newspapers even called it a "super-super budget," surpassing previous "super budgets." Next year's deficit bonds are expected to be about 94 trillion won.

3.

On the 16th, regarding the disciplinary action against the Prosecutor General, the Blue House explained, "According to the Prosecutor Disciplinary Act, when the Minister of Justice recommends disciplinary action, the president must approve and enforce the disciplinary plan without discretion."

Every organization has a principle of delegated authority. The top person cannot do everything alone. Therefore, some authority is delegated to subordinates, who have a duty to report. However, the superior must not forget that while authority is delegated, responsibility remains with them. Even if a department head makes a decision, if it causes harm to a customer, the law holds the company or CEO responsible.

The kind president who said, "The state's responsibility for the lives and safety of its people is unlimited," reportedly scolded aides and the cabinet at an internal Blue House meeting on the 21st for the government's inadequate COVID-19 vaccine procurement. It is the king's duty to execute the punishment of beheading a minister who disobeys orders. If scolding does not work, it means there is a serious problem in the country's system.

4.

Professor Robert Heilbroner of Harvard University, who passed away in 2005, studied the flow of capitalism throughout his life and was a representative progressive economist advocating social democratic policies. At the end of his book, Economics Explained, the old scholar left a message to the leaders who will guide the country in this era.

"The capitalist economy is always in a state of tension to the point of instability, constantly changing and in disequilibrium. Capitalism is revolutionary in that its essence is the creation of change. Through continuously generated changes, it brings about transformation in all aspects of politics, economy, and society. Such a social system has never existed before. What is needed for large-scale change is not only adaptation to capitalism's revolutionary nature but also indefinable elements contributed by factors outside the system, such as national temperament and the insight of leaders."

Searching online, I found that a benevolent and virtuous king is called a Seonggun (sage king), but the term "kind king," or Seongun (善君), does not appear. Even among kings recorded as tyrants in history, some may have been kind at heart. However, the word "kind" is apparently not a word to be used before "king." Both kings and subjects had to know that there is no such thing as a kind king. A king who is ignorant of reason is called a Hongun (foolish king).

/ Lee Soon-byeong, Senior Member of the Korean Academy of Engineering

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