Реферат: Korea in focus
Conclusion
The rise of the Korean economy over the past several decades,
often called the “Miracle of the Han”, has been an inspiring model of modern
economic development. The rapid pace with which the Koeran economy rose from
the ashes of war and expanded stunned the outside world. However, this rapid
growth was not unaccompanied by growing pains which began to manifest
themselves in all sectors of society particularly during the late 1980s.
Excessive wage hikes, high capital costs and an overly bureaucratic
administration, not to mention institutionalized corruption, served to weaken
Korea’s international competitiveness, and this was aggravated by unfavourable
external circumstances. In the past year, though, strenuous efforts have been
made to overcome these impediments and through this, as well as improving
international economic climate, it appears that the Korean economy is regaining
its former vigor. The upcoming years pose severe challenges for the Republic
in light of the December 1993 conclusion of the Uruguay Round and the rise of
the Asia-Pacific region as the new global economic center, but with the
increasing emphasis in both the public and private sector on globalization and
internalization, the Republic seems braced to meet these challenges.
REFORM TOWARD A NEW KOREA
The Basic Goals and Reform
Process of the Kim Young Sam Administration
What are the vision and goals of the Administration of Kim Young
Sam, inaugurated on February 25, 1993. In a nutshell, the answer is the
“creation of a New Korea” through “Reform Admist Stability.” This concept was
the keynote of the President’s inaugural address as well as the main slogan of
his presidential election campaign in December 1992.
“I have a dream. It is the creation of a New Korea in which a new
politics, a new economy and a new culture will bloom. This is my dream and
vision; it is the dream and vision of all our people.” This quotation appears
in the book, “Kim Young Sam: New Korea 2000,” published in Korea in October
1992 prior to the presidential election.
In his inaugural speech on February 25, 1993, President Kim Young
Sam defined the three major priorities of his policies to create a New Korea:
the eradication of social injustice and corruption, the revitalization of the
national economy and the establishment of official discipline and public
order.
The President declared that the eradication of corruption was a
vital foundation for reforms in every sector of the country, and that there
would be no sanctuary from the investigation of misconduct. The movement to
establish official discipline and public order, which began with high-ranking
government officials, is intended to ensure integrity and high ethical
standards by “purifying the upper reaches of the stream,” i.e., the upper
levels of government and society.
The main purpose of these reforms is to revitalize the nation and
elevate the overall standard of living. President Kim Young Sam has thus pushed
ahead with firm determination since his inauguration, bringing about enormous
changes in this country.
From the very start of his Administration, President Kim Young Sam
concentrated on eliminating corrupt practices and behavior which arose from
decades of authoritarian rule. This kind of housecleaning was unhead of in the
past. President Kim believes, and popular opinion supports him on this, that
such reform must be carried on without letting up in the interest of the
long-term stability and economic development of Korea.
The Concept of a New Korea
The creation of a New Korea means the building of unified, fully
mature democratic state. To that end, drastic changes and reforms are being
pursued to raise the quality of life for all those who were sacrificed in the
blind quest for rapid growth over the past 30-odd years.
What will the future New Korea be like? Korea’s first non-military
President since 1961, President Kim in his inaugural address said the New Korea
will be:
A freer and more mature democratic society.
A community where people share, work and live together in harmony.
A higher quality of life will flourish and the dignity of the individual will
be upheld.
A state where justice flows like a river throughout the land. In
other words, it will be a just society in which honest and earnest individuals
live well.
A new country in which human dignity is respected and culture is
valued.
A unified land where the presently divided people live in peace as
one.
And, it will stand tall and proud on the center stage of the
civilized world, making vital contributions to global peace and progress.
Curing the Korean Disease
The problems which are widespread in Korea today are often
referred to as the Korean disease: (1) Korean industriousness and ingenuity -
long the envy of the world - seem to be evaporating, (2) values continue to
erode, due to injustice, corruption, lethargy, bigotry, inertia, strife and
confrontation, and narrow self-interests, and (3) self-confidence has been lost
and defeatism has set in.
To create a New Korea, the new Administration has been vigorously
addressing these symptoms through drastic change and reform. The President
outlined the goals of these changes and reforms in his inaugural address: (1)
the establishment of a new era of courage and hope by shaking off frustration
and lethargy, (2) the replacement of bigotry and inertia with openmindedness
and vitality, strife and confrontation with dialogue and cooperation, mistrust
with trust, and (3) the building of a society which sees all citizens not only
living together but also truly carring about one another, discarding narrow
self-interests.
Three Tasks
The President outlined three essential tasks in his inaugural address.
First, misconduct and corruption must be rooted out. He defined
misconduct and corruption as the most terrifying enemies attacking the
foundation of society, and called for an end to all manner of impropriety and
graft, allowing no sanctuary. He called for immediate reform starting from the
very top.
Second, the economy must be revitalized. He vowed that the new
Administration would do away with unwarranted controls and protection and
instead guarantee self-regulation and fair competition. “Private initiative and
creativity will thus be allowed to flourish”. He went on to say. “The
Administration will be the first to tighten uts belt. Our citizens must also
conserve more and save more. Extravagance and wastefulness must be
eliminated... Only when the Government and the people, and labor and business
work together with enthusiasm will it be possible to turn our economy
around...”
Third, national discipline must be enhanced. “Respect for
authority must be reestablished... Freedom must serve society... The true
meaning of freedom is in using it to plant a flower in the park rather than
picking a flower from the park.” The President also said, “Ethics... must be
made to prevail. To this end, education must henceforth cultivate wholesome
character and unwavering democratic belief, as well as equip our young people
for the future with knowledge and skill in science and technology...”
Four majot Goals of the New Administration
The four major goals of the Administration are clean government, a
sound economy, a healthy society and peaceful unification.
Clean government means a government free of corruption and
injustice. There is a saying that the lower reaches of a river will be clean
only when the upper reaches are kept clean. The President is determined to keep
the upper reaches of the stream clean, and all the Cabinet members and
high-ranking public officials will join in this effort so that the public will
have confidence in the Government.
The campaign to keep the upper reaches of the stream clean means reforms
from the top. The new Government has required high-ranking public officials to
register and make public their personal assets to discourage the illegal
accumulation of wealth under the Public Officials’ Ethics Law. The President
himself has made public his own assets and has said that he would not accept
political contributions.
A sound economy means a New Economy free of unwarranted controls
and protection - an economy which guarantees self-regulation and fair
competition and encourages the private initiative and creativity necessary for
economic revitalization. The economy has been marked by quantitative growth in
the past three decades; now it needs qualitative development. In order to
develop New Economy, Korea must (1) establish a liberal market system, (2)
liberalize financing, (3) decentralize economic power and (4) promote economic
reforms.
The New Economy emphasizes concentrated efforts for the renovation
of science and technology. In the 21st century, the strength of nations will be
measured by the development of science and technology. It is for this reason
the new Administration is sharply raising research and development
expenditures.
President Kim Young Sam announced on August 12, 1993, implementation
of real-name system for all financial transactions to assist in the realization
of economic justice and clean government. The new Administration also has a
firm position to control speculation in real estate and institute tax reforms.
By effecting all these changes, it is predicted that the inflation
rate as measured by the consumer price index will fall to the 3-4 percent
range by the end of 1994 from the usual past level of nearly 6 percent, while
the balance on current account will shift into the black. The economy as a
whole should grow at an average annual rate of 6.9 percent, boosting per capita
GNP to US$14,076 in 1998 from US$7,466 in 1993.
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