Реферат: Korea in focus
A healthy society means a society in which all people work hard
and receive just rewards. It is obvious that a clean government and sound
economy alone cannot create a New Korea. A healthy society is absolutely
required as well. Everyone must spontaneously take responsibility for keeping
society healthy. Each and every person must be honest, courageous and dignified.
Peaceful unification is the supreme task for Koreans. the
Republic’s Korean national Community Unification Formula envisages a Korean
Commonwealth, an interim arrangement designed to build political, economic and
military trust and restore national homogeneity, leading to full national
integration through free general elections throughout the Korean Peninsula.
President Kim will consistently pursue this unification formula, widely
regarded as being very realistic. He will, however, flexibly adapt it to
changes in the international situation. In a Liberation Day speech on August
15, 1994, he thus prpoposed South-North joint projects for national
development, including light-water nuclear reactor construction in the North,
once the North Korean nuclear issue is resolved.
Reform backed by the Korean people
The Korean people’s deep support of President Kim’s comprehensive
reform agenda has been reflected in the Korean leader’s strong public approval
rating. President Kim has fared consistently well in public opinion polls which
indicate that his reform policies continue to enjoy the support of a solid
majority of Koreans.
Ethics Reform
To maintain the public’s trust, President Kim has pledged to
create a corruption-free political environment by establishing high ethical
standards for the members of his administration and political party.
Symbolizing his strong commitment to this goal on February 27, 1993, just two
days after his inauguration President Kim disclosed all of his financial assets
to the public, and encouraged all senior cabinet and ruling party figures to do
the same. A number of his government’s newly appointed officials were forced to
resign for their past unethical financial conduct and President Kim declared
that there would be “no sanctuary” from his clean-up campaign. He stressed that
the new ethical standards “must be internalized and become a way of life” for
all Koreans.
In order to institutionalize the disclosure of public officials’
assets, the existing Public Officials’ Ethics Act as revised in June 1993, and
ranking government officials are now required to register and disclosure their
assets under this law. As a result of the clean-up drive resulting from the
asset disclosure, 1,363 public officials were dismissed for malfeasance and 242
were forced to resign due to improperly acquired wealth.
President Kim’s inauguration brought to an end the deep
involvement of the military in Korea’s political arena. Corruption in the armed
forces, long a taboo subject, became a focus of the new reform drive. Promotion
kickback scandals were uncovered, and a number of senior military officers have
been removed from their posts. The Administration has also investigated and
taken legal action against defense procurement irregularitites. At the same
time, Prsident Kim has moved to depoliticize the government bureaucracy. In
particular, he has reformed the nation’s intelligence apparatus, ending its
involvement in domestic politics and directing it to focus solely on Korea’s
national security concerns.
President Kim has taken steps to reform the Office of the
President itself. The President’s residence and office complex, Chong Wa Dae,
better known as a Blue House, has been made more accessible to the public. For
the first time in decades, the avenue in front of the Blue House is now open to
traffic, as are the scenic mountain hiking trails adjacent to the presidential
residence. Gone are the lavish Blue House meals once served to staff and
guests. Instead, everyone, including the President himself, dines on simple yet
traditional Korean cuisine.
Financial Reform
Following this reform to require the disclosure of personal assets
by public officials, President Kim Young Sam boldly introduced a real-name
financial transaction system in order to achieve fundamental structural reform
that will greatly assist in the realization of economic justice and clean
government.
This real-name financial transaction system, which was put into
effect by an emergency presidential decree on August 12, 1993 is the core of the
entire reform movement, “the reform of all reforms.” This reform is helping
eradicate misconducts and realize economic justice by rectifying the distorted
economic structure and income distribution caused by underground economic
activities and real estate speculation and by cutting shady financial ties
between politicians and businessmen. In order to join the ranks of advanced
countries, Korea must eradicate the corruption and irregularities stemming from
certain aspects of past administrations’ pursuance of rapid growth-oriented
economic development.
With the introduction of the real-name financial transaction
system, all financial dealing have become transparent, underground economic
dealings have diminished, and nonproductive land speculation has been curbed.
The funds that were channeled into political circles in the past as a result of
government-business collusion are now being invested in business activities.
As a result drastic changes are occurring in political, economic
and social activities in virtually every sector of Korean society. Business
investment is actively increasing, and the past distorted economic structure
and income distribution is being rectified.
President Kim’s declaration not to receive any money from
businesses so as to maintain a clean government and to build a clean society,
combined with his political philosophy, laid the foundation for the
introduction of the real-name financial transaction system. The success of the
real-name financial transaction system is serving as a stepping-stone to a New
Korea.
Reform Legislation Promoting Clean Polities and Participatory
Democracy
As President Kim’s urging, a package of three political reform
bills was unanimously passed by the National Assembly on March 24, 1994. Marked
by heavy penalties for offenders, the Law for Electing Public Officials and
Preventing Electoral Irregularities is designed to ensure the transparency of
campaign financing, limit campaign expenditures while encouraging freer
campaigns, and ban “premature electioneering,” as well as all other electoral
misconduct. The amended Political Fund Law is intended to control fund raising
by political parties and individual politicians with the aim of stamping out
“money politics” and “politics-business collusion,” while encouraging
relatively small contributions by individuals and groups to the coffers of the
parties or politicians that they support. Together, these two laws are aimed at
ensuring free, fair, clean and frugal politics in general. The revised Local
Autonomy Law provides for the election of the chief executives of local
governments in addition to the local councils already instituted in 1991 to
restore local autonomy after a 30-year hiatus.
Under the new Local Autonomy Law, four kinds of local elections
are scheduled to be conducted on June 27, 1995, to choose 15 provincial
governors and metropolitan mayors, 866 members of provincial and metropolitan
councils, 260 city mayors, country executives and municipal district chiefs,
and 4,304 members of lower-level local councils - for a total of 5,445.
In line with the key goals of President Kim’s political reform,
the enforcement of these new laws will enhance the ability of Korean citizens
from all walks of life to more fully participate in the democratic political
process.
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