Time to compromise and cooperate

Cho Yoon-je
The author is a professor emeritus at Sogang University and a member of the Monetary Policy Board of the Bank of Korea.

Korean society is sinking deeper and deeper into a quagmire. Bitter divide, conflict, distrust, anxiety about the future, collective self-centeredness and obsession with vested interests through collusion have become prevalent. Wealth inequalities have deepened amid higher barriers in the social stratification ladder. Korea has long lost its past dynamics as its growth rate has been hovering below the global average for years. Politics have worsened the matters by exploiting and galvanizing the social divide and rage instead of trying to correct and address the setbacks. As a result, Korea has become a stagnated society, solving nothing and going nowhere.

The five-year lifespan of a single-term presidency has shortened the social clock to feed the standstill. When a governing force changes, so do the faces of not just senior government officials, but also the heads of state institutions, associations, financial holding companies and even public think tanks responsible for long-term research on public policies. Due to the short term in power, leaders chase populist platforms to fulfill their egos and interests while pushing aside long-term and structural tasks.

The myriad of challenges the Korean society, economy and politics face have not surfaced out of the blue. They are the accumulated results of clashes between the institutions the government maintained during the fast industrialization and growth phase and the changes in attitudes, culture, customs and environment at home and abroad. A nation’s fortune runs on the wheels of systems and policies. The direction of Korea’s chart will depend on what systems and policies we choose and what new traditions and spirits we plant into society. The political process relies on power structure, party culture and media and civilian awareness. If Korean politics, systems and policies remain unchanged, the country’s sickness will worsen.

Our problems are deep-seated and interconnected, demanding a comprehensive approach and prescription. The carrot-and-stick system that dominated Korean society lost its merits to drive a more dynamic and healthy society. All these must be restructured to better fit today’s conditions.

Our conundrums demand sweeping reforms across politics, economy, society and the judiciary branch. The public desire for such a fundamental change against a flash point is mirrored in the outcome of the April 10 parliamentary elections. But a watershed momentum depends on an extensive overhaul in political culture and state governance structure. Under the current partisan and kill-or-be-killed political structure, reforms and innovations necessary for national progress can never take place.

Democracy has many flaws. To make the institution work productively, it must be based on a culture of compromise and cooperation. Our politics must learn lessons from the 37 years of our conflict after the 1987 democratization and redesign a framework for a better future. The rivalling parties and the conservative and liberal fronts must contest in a healthy manner to solve problems through dialogue and compromise.

If reforms are further put off, the toll we could face is scary. Nothing should be more important for a political party than the wellbeing of the country and the people. The regional, ideological and partisan rivalry and the media fanning the divide must stop. None of our problems can be solved unless our politics and society establish a culture and tradition of compromise and cooperation.

This has been the history’s lesson since we embraced democracy. We will never grow out of a crisis if reforms partially take form only after a country goes through a crisis or faces external pressure.

The people have voted for the cease of unilateral governance and uncompromising politics to set the ground for changes for the future through sincere dialogue, compromise and cooperation in the latest election. The new legislature is now structured to ensure that nothing can be done without dialogue and compromise between the governing and opposition parties. The new 22nd National Assembly must sow the culture of compromise and cooperation to give hope to the people. We hope to see a Constitutional reform during the term to pave the way for new state governance system and political order.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.