[The Editors' Verdict]The Three Major Reforms: Only Echoing the Word 'Cartel' Without Substance

Reform Cannot Succeed with Only the Cartel Frame
Communication and Trust with the Public Are Essential for Change

Whenever the Yoon Seok-yeol administration emphasizes the three major reforms that can no longer be delayed or postponed, the term ‘cartel’ inevitably appears, showing clear pros and cons like two sides of the same coin. First, the power of the word cartel is tremendous. Its advantage lies in its ability to instantly capture public attention through a dichotomy of good and evil and a punitive approach. However, the downside is that sometimes the power of the word cartel overshadows the essence of the issue.

The best example illustrating both sides of the cartel is the education reform, which escalated from the controversy over ‘killer questions’ on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) to the ‘private education cartel problem.’ It is an open secret that private education industries monitor and attempt to recruit professors who serve as CSAT question setters. In this process, it is reasonable to suspect that a cartel is formed, and the hypothesis that killer questions continue to be produced to sustain this cartel can also be sufficiently made. In the public’s mind, the cartel linked to killer questions is clearly imprinted, leading to the perception that ‘private education = evil.’ But can education reform be considered successful if private education is eliminated to break this cartel?

That is an absurd notion. The core of education reform is not a war against private education but the normalization of public education. Currently, many schools spend class time, which should be used to learn concepts and principles, solving CSAT problems using EBS textbooks instead of regular textbooks. For students who have not done any advanced study, this time is inevitably difficult to understand. Consequently, the number of students dozing off increases, and dependence on private education also rises. Public education needs to be normalized, but none of the measures proposed so far address this. Rather, public education cannot even show its face within the powerful private education cartel.

What about labor reform? The government stated in the economic policy direction for the second half of this year that it would raise labor flexibility by strictly punishing illegal acts by labor unions and enhancing accounting transparency, and would present reform plans for sustainable pensions. However, amid the controversy over ‘syrup wages,’ only the ‘fraudulent receipt cartel’ that siphons off public funds is highlighted. Meanwhile, crucial tasks that must be resolved, such as flexible working hours and wage system reform, are not clearly visible.

The same goes for pension reform. Unlike labor and education reforms, pension reform, which is not progressing well, has only revealed a broad framework in the economic policy direction for the second half of the year, stating that a comprehensive national pension operation plan will be established and promoted by October. Yet, the message of ‘fighting against vested interest cartels’ is particularly emphasized.

If the cartel frame is pushed like this, the three major reforms that the Yoon administration is focusing on may end up making only a lot of noise without real progress. Moreover, the election season is approaching. It may be difficult to drive the three major reforms strongly at this time.

At times like this, the right path must be taken. The three major reforms cannot succeed with the simplistic message of dismantling cartels alone. It is not something the government can do alone. The government, the National Assembly, academia, and businesses must all put their heads together to come up with acceptable reform plans, and the government must continuously persuade the public and stakeholders based on these plans. The public also recognizes the necessity of the three major reforms. However, the ‘realistic problem’ is that it is difficult for them to readily accept the government’s request to endure pain by looking at the long-term vision of reform policies. This will only be possible if the government builds trust. The secret behind former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ability to overturn unfavorable circumstances early in her tenure and remain in power for 16 years was her firm pursuit of labor and fiscal reforms based on communication and trust.

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