March Newsletter - Issue&Focus

Spring, let's spread the wings of hope

Lee, Yonghwan

Secretary General of Hansun Foundation

Spring is coming. It is a season that brings hope and vitality. Just as sprouts emerge from barren ground, spring brings us the sound of life.

This is the reason why we must hold hope, no matter how difficult reality may be.

Is there any fruit without pain? It is because there is hope that they overcame the long, depressing winter. Let's spread our wings toward a future where the spirit of communitarian liberalism is demonstrated with the hope that pain and difficulties will soon pass.

Although the season is spring, our reality still feels like winter. We hear more depressing and irritating news than happy and joyful ones. Nevertheless, changes are happening. The intensity of the changes we observe from within the country versus outside of it may differ. While we are going through a time of stagnation due to conflict and confrontation, major countries are running forward.

If you turn your eyes outside, another world unfolds before us. As the Russia-Ukraine war has been going on for over a year, it is causing energy and food shortages as well as an arms race. The economy has faced a global crisis due to the intensifying US-China power competition and the 3-year-long COVID-19 pandemic. As the corona pandemic ends, countries are racing all-out to overcome the economic downturn.

South Korea also needs to overcome the crisis quickly, but the reality is very challenging. This is because it is a complex and comprehensive crisis that has emerged as a result of multiple internal and external shocks. Especially in a situation where there is a high degree of external dependence, changes in the world's geopolitics and security situation are calling for us to wake up. While internal unity is important, it is not easy to achieve, especially in politics. Politicians who should work for the people are actually delaying change rather than leading it. In addition, the decentralization of power between the President and the National Assembly is making governance even more challenging.

Unlike politics, foreign relations are being strengthened through diplomacy based on the values of freedom, and the alliance between South Korea and the United States is being strengthened. Although relations between South Korea and Japan are slowly being restored, there is still a long way to go.

We should not overlook the close relationships between Russia, China, and North Korea at the moment.

Cooperation between the US and Japan is desperately needed to respond to the North Korean nuclear issue, which is a realistic task for us. Now, South Korea and Japan must view their relationship with a future-oriented perspective, accurately assess reality, and move away from a confrontational and conflictual relationship to a cooperative one.

The economy directly affects people's lives. The current economic downturn is largely attributed to the complex and intertwined global crisis caused by various factors such as the surge in energy prices, infectious diseases, the restructuring of supply chains due to US-China tensions, and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Some politicians are once again talking about populist responses like loosening monetary policies, but we must not forget that the previous government's populist policies were factors that hampered the Korean economy and made policy implementation difficult. The important thing is not to loosen the purse strings, but to achieve economic growth that ensures price stability and employment, and to create decent jobs that encourage self-reliance.

The future belongs to those who take on the challenge. First of all, a positive attitude is important. We must use the geopolitical characteristics of the peninsula, which is our destiny, as a window of opportunity. Korea should become a role model country that contributes to the global community. To achieve this, we must utilize the geographical characteristics of the peninsula to reach out to the world.

The government should implement policies that stimulate the private sector, and the private sector should demonstrate entrepreneurship. To achieve this, the government must reform regulations even if it is painful and continue to pursue the four major reforms (pension, labor, education, administration) in order to stimulate private sector vitality, while the private sector must exercise the entrepreneurial spirit.

Energy conversion for the realization of 2050 carbon neutrality through active science and technology promotion, and science powerhouses that supports the AI revolution and the 4th industrial revolution that are currently unfolding. We need to create a sustainable Republic of Korea while alleviating the problems of low birth rates and population aging, which are progressing at the fastest pace in the world.

Spring is the season of life, hope, and joy. We hope that our country, the Republic of Korea, will also become a country full of vitality and the spirit of communitarian liberalism.