Network aims for competition through harmony and order

SEOUL (JP): The establishment of the Pacific Asia Network is the culmination of three years of work by Kim Sang-chul, a noted lawyer, and his colleagues.

The network aims at enhancing friendship, understanding and cooperation through the exchange of ideas and personnel among countries in Asia, Oceania and North America.

But why Pacific Asia?

Kim said Pacific Asia places emphasis on the word "Pacific", which is an ocean.

"An ocean denotes peace and openness toward different traditions and customs," he told The Jakarta Post in an interview.

Kim, who is also a former mayor of Seoul, has chaired the Pacific Asia Society of Korea since its inception in 1994.

He shared his vision of the network with some 20 scholars and society leaders meeting here last week.

"Human history tells us that every historical work has been embarked upon by people with a grand vision, but with many difficulties," said the soft-spoken lawyer.

In this age of globalization, he said, unlimited competition is being overly emphasized. Competition is an effective way of eliminating inefficiency and irrationality, but it should be done in harmony and in an orderly manner.

When the order of the society collapses, the basic structure on which the whole economy depends on will be wrecked.

"The ability to put together our efforts with our neighbors is through knowledge and moral values, I believe. Asia has a checkered history. It has overcome the past oppression. A new era of knowledge and morality is being ushered in.

Kim said the hegemony of the powerful countries has lost its luster and that human beings will have finished all possible paradigms of experiment and training in their thoughts and behavior by the end of the 20th century.

Their knowledge and wisdom, acquired and accumulated through these efforts, are being shared among all the members of the global village indebted to the rapid development of technology and communication.

"No one can maintain their dominance in knowledge, the economy or military power anymore. The world is embracing an age of interdependence, in which there is mutual cooperation and assistance," he said.

Kim acknowledged that there are some who harbor negative attitudes toward cooperation among people in the region due to local customs and past sufferings.

"In a self-centered, snobbish society, it is hard to make the people listen to you unless you are really ready and willing to serve the people," said Kim. (hbk)