In the New Year, President Park’s administration enters the third year in powe

In the New Year, President Park’s administration enters the third year in powe. January. 01, 2015 04:31. .

In the New Year, President Park’s administration enters the third year in power. During the presidential term, the year of 2015 is the only year in which there is no nation-wide election. In 2016, the next year, the general election is slated to be held and then the presidential election will take place in 2017. The year of 2015 is the last golden time for President Park to stable the national politics and reform the economic fundamentals. To change the nation, President Park must change herself first. That is the fate of this administration. ‘Jeong Yoon-hoe memoranda scandal’ was confirmed to be groundless by the prosecutor’s investigation. However, majority of the public is having a lingering suspicion on the three key Presidential aides. The public may hold greater distrust toward President Park, if she continues with unacceptable appointment of the government personnel. Rather than reading reports in the evening, President must meet with prominent and wise figures from various arena. Take a step back, and look down from a higher ground. That is the best way to see the path ahead.

The world would go through troubled times in 2015 due to rampant skepticism over democracy and political elites and the populism raising its ugly head. To go ahead of other nations in the midst of such turbulent times, the most urgent thing is a nation-wide reform. The public must know that any public officials including the President, who attempts to privatize a public organization called Korea, are a cancer on the nation and a criminal to be judged by the history. Korea has a lot to learn from Singapore, a small but strong and efficient nation that celebrates its 50th anniversary of establishment. In addition to reform in the public offices, Korea needs taxation reform and financial system innovation to prevent the public officials from wasting tax payer’s money at their discretion. In 2015 that marks the 95th anniversary of foundation, the Dong-A Ilbo plans to launch an annual campaign to keep a close eye on cases where the government wastes citizens’ tax.

More than 100 countries gained independence after the World War II was ended, but Korea is almost the only nation that has achieved industrialization and democratization. Over the past 70 years from the end of the Second World War, Korea achieved industrialization and democratization, and took pride in that the nation would soon join the ranks of advanced nations, boasting state-of-the-art information technologies represented by Samsung smart phones and global fever over the Korean culture led by K-Pop. However, the atmosphere changed last year. Tragedy of the deadly sunken ferry Sewol and ‘Nut rage’ incident of Korean Air exposed the naked truth of Korea’s pariah capitalism to the world. Conglomerates and financial leaders must focus on what they can do well and hasten to make a structural reform for slimming down, in order to protect the market economy and achieve economic growth rate of 3.5% at a similar level to last year’s.

Experts forecast that the global economy shows a growth rate a bit faster than that of 2014. The strength of the dollar, falling oil prices and fear of deflation are the reality facing all the nations around the world. Among them, nations deep in economic recession show one thing in common: that the country is in political strife and heavily dependent on regulations. There must be no more old conventions in Korea which allow out-of-date ideology of extreme leftists and long-running conflict among political factions to block the way for innovation, reform, young generations and the future. That’s how Korea can become an advanced nation and achieve unification on the Korean peninsula as soon as possible, while avoiding the long recession that Japan suffers from.

Seventy years is a long period. In the 70th year from foundation of the nation, Joseon Dynasty was headed for the second prime time during the reign of Seong-jong, after the first heyday under the rule of King Sejong. Division of the Korean peninsula still hinders Korean people to achieve and accomplish to the fullest extent that their potential allows. A satellite picture shows that the north of Korean peninsula is in sheer darkness, as if the part still remains under Japanese colonial rule. Until the 100th anniversary of liberation from Japan`s 1910-45 colonial rule, at latest, Korea must overcome the division of people and the nation and build up a nation full of light across the entire peninsula. I wish this year would be the first step toward that.