Communication holds the key to survival

CHUN SU-JIN
The author is the head of the Today-People News team at the JoongAng Ilbo.

Communication has become a luxury in Korea as the country has turned into a “no communication hell.” From placards full of swear words in Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul to funeral wreaths in front of media companies in Sangam-dong, the decibels of crying “I’m right and you’re wrong” make me feel gloomy.

Daily lives also lack communication. I wear earphones even on the street. The country may be evolving from a lack of communication to an absence of communication, or rejecting communication.

In the heaven of no communication, all kinds of conflicts imaginable, ranging from age to gender and occupation, poke at each other sharply. Being different is defined as being wrong and antagonized. The 21st century could be a time of “enemyfying.” Ecologist Choe Jae-chun, a chair professor at Ewha Womans University, recently brought up the topic of deliberation. He said it is not about discussing who is right but what is right.

When communication is not happening, is deliberation possible? In a recent news conference, Professor Choe said, “It is not impossible just because it seems impossible.” Then, he mentioned Adam Kahane, a “facilitator of processes,” and the Mont Fleur scenario exercise he led in South Africa. The term “enemyfying” is coined by Kahane.

The scenario exercise ended the conflict in South Africa and reached a national consensus. In 1994, when Nelson Mandela was elected, South Africa was just as torn apart as Korea in 2024. The government convened the Mont Fleur conference and invited Kahane to lead the deliberation. Choe claimed that there is no reason Korea cannot do what South Africa did 30 years ago.

Prof. Choe pointed out that the low birthrate is the issue that requires deliberation the most. The core of the low birthrate is not money. Women went on a strike over giving birth not because of a lack of financial support for having a baby. The generation of the childbirth strike turned off the communication switch. For those who lost the will to communicate, continuing society is meaningless. They find it insulting when told to have children and be paid 100 million won ($73,233).

What if someone like Adam Kahane presides over a “Seoul conference” now? Instead of punching the childbirth subsidy calculator, wouldn’t he turn on the communication switch for the women and give them a chance to speak? If Korea is to exist 100 years from now, the wall of no communication should come down, and people must open their ears, not mouth, and learn how to deliberate.