[Insight & Opinion] A Government That Fuels the Overflowing 'Hwa' in Society

Published 08 Sep.2023 11:25(KST)

The reason why a certain monk’s remark that society is so filled with ‘hwa’ (anger) that meditation is needed resonates deeply is that the word ‘hwa’ most succinctly captures the current state of our society. There is no need to mention the National Assembly, where extreme confrontations occur daily without a moment of peace. From the handling of the Itaewon tragedy, the suspension of the Seoul-Yangpyeong highway project, the devastating collapse of elementary school authority and the successive extreme choices made by teachers, indiscriminate knife attacks, the shocking poor preparation for the World Jamboree, rental fraud, the release of Fukushima contaminated water, ideological conflicts even invoking the statue of General Hong Beom-do, to the Jeong Yul-seong Historical Park and the ‘pay more, receive later’ national pension reform plan?news after news provokes not just anger but also sighs of despair.

There is an overflow of ‘hwa’ throughout society, accompanied by astonishment and lamentation: “How could this happen? How did it come to this?” Regardless of the differences in feelings depending on the incident, whether conservative or progressive, everyone is angry without regard to political camp. In this context, it is important to note that many of the cases mentioned above are the result of the government’s unilateral policy choices and push-through approach that disregarded the public’s sentiment.

The Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s habit of blaming and criticizing the previous government also fuels public anger. Both the progressive supporters who backed the previous government and the conservative critics now want to hear new hope from the Yoon administration, but even after a year and a half in power, they are still hearing about the previous government’s failures and responsibilities.

The 2008 protests against the import of mad cow disease-infected beef offer a lesson regarding the government’s stance on the release of Fukushima contaminated water: public sentiment is more important than scientific evidence. Despite announcements that the Fukushima contaminated water would take 4 to 5 years to reach waters near the Korean Peninsula, a public opinion poll (NBS) showed that 74% responded that it would be harmful. Scientific evidence is a necessary condition, but for politics and policy to succeed, they must earn the trust of the people.

In this regard, the Yoon administration needs to make efforts to consider and persuade public sentiment. The reason why various opinion polls on next year’s general election show that calls to check the government and ruling party clearly outweigh support is that there is a serious problem in the relationship between the government, ruling party, and the public. Despite reasonable policy directions to revive economic growth engines, the reason for the lack of public support is interpreted as the Yoon administration’s arrogance of “follow me,” which has angered the people. Furthermore, the fact that the proportion of undecided voters in various polls is higher than the support for either the ruling or opposition parties is evidence that a large portion of the public is angry at the established political system.

President Yoon has actively demanded that cabinet members become warriors and fight. Before encouraging fighting, the president needs to properly identify who the opponent is. Of course, the president likely considers the major opposition party and progressive forces that obstruct government policies as the opponents to fight, but this harsh attitude from the president and cabinet members risks alienating the majority of neutral or undecided citizens, effectively turning most of the public outside the ruling party’s support base into opponents in this fight.

The government should at least avoid inflaming anger, if not soothe it, by giving hope and trust to the people. In a situation where national unity is urgently needed to address imminent challenges such as low birth rates and low growth, the public wants the president and government to adopt a more flexible and humble stance and to persuade the people with hopeful policies.