[EDITORIALS]It’s time to get back to work

The 17th legislative election is over. Now is the time to settle down, bury the hatchet and go back to our normal life. We should reflect on why we raised voices, caused conflicts and fought one another. Why did we do it? There must be only one reason: to make a better country.
The political circle has the responsibility to reunite the public, whose opinions had been divided in pieces during the election campaign. Political parties were no different during the campaign in that they spat out words and showed behavior that propelled conflicts among classes, generations and regions.
Now that the election is over, they have to jettison the negative politics of attacking the opposition and to pursue politics of coexistence and mutual prosperity. Each party must reorganize themselves to start a dialogue among the ruling and the opposition parties.
Their agenda must be narrowed to what we should do from now on. During the past year, the entire country did not work, but instead wasted time finger-pointing.
We must gather our heads together now. It does not matter anymore who won and who lost. The outcome of the votes must be accepted as the public’s position, and everyone must go back to his or her own place and get back to work. Candlelight vigils and rallies must stop now.
Uncertainty in politics has been considerably reduced. The business community must move proactively and make investments that had been put on hold.
They must also increase employment and contribute to stimulating the economy. Workers also must be aware that the Korean economy is on the verge of falling into a pit and cooperate to ensure its survival.
Even in its emergency state, with President Roh Moo-hyun impeached, the government carried out the elections without trouble. It must continue to ensure that its policies are carried out smoothly until the Constitutional Court makes its decision.
Even after the elections, pockets of uncertainty remain. Issues related to the impeachment and the presidential campaign finance investigation may still throw the nation into chaos at any time. It is important that we be careful to make sure that such issues are dealt with rationally and fairly, according to legal procedures.