The second nation-building movement

The current state of affairs, which can be described as the greatest national crisis since the end of the Korean War, resulted from a foreign exchange crisis and subsequent management of the nation's finances by the International Monetary Fund. This was followed by a chain of corporations' bankruptcies, mass unemployment, painful restructuring of companies, the Government and public organizations, as well as a rapid decline in incomes.

To overcome the crisis we must focus on the people's energy and capabilities, share the restructuring and efforts to wipe out old systems, practices and ways of thinking and build new political and social orders.

What is the second nation-building?

Building on a foundation of industrialization and democratization, we must complete a market economy. The second nation-building will overcome the greatest national crisis since the end of the Korean War. We must undertake across-the-board reform and a national movement aimed at building an advanced Republic of Korea by taking a leap forward through the parallel development of democracy and a market economy.

What are the causes of the national crisis?

The nation failed to detect developments in the international community such as enhancement of information capabilities and the World Trade Organization system. It also failed to reform all areas, including politics, the economy and society, to liquidate authoritarian practices which include collusion between politicians and businesspeople, corruption, a don't-rock-the-boat attitude and overextended business corporations.

What is the value of democracy in a world of globalization and informationization?

Democracy provides opportunities for a people to restore the basic principles of society. The first stage of the process is to establish democracy, rule by law, and the realization of justice. The second stage is to expand human rights and equality that will in turn make economic activities more effective.

What are the historical aspects of the Government of the People?

The fact that, in an election, the opposition party, which was alienated from the center of power for a long time, took power from a strong, vested interest group is a great historic event comparable to the April 19, 1960, Student Revolution.

Democratization efforts by past administrations were made on the basis of agreements between elite groups, divided into ruling and opposition political camps. However, a Government of the People was inaugurated for the first time in the democratic history of the country.

What is the second nation-building movement?

The second nation-building is a national reform movement under which Government leadership will democratize all segments of society; a movement undertaken by the Government and the people.

Second nation-building is the parallel development of democracy and a market economy. Under past authoritarian governments, democracy was sacrificed for economic development. The Government of the People will overcome the crisis caused by the limitations, or total failure, of the old economic development policy.

What is a democratic market economy?

It is a fair competitive market based on economic principles, values and the concepts of a capitalist society. But it leaves room for the Government to intervene in the market within the boundaries of not impairing fundamental market principles; the purpose of any such intervention being to steer the competitive function into productive and socially redeeming avenues.

The Government's intervention in the market would be carried out in such a way as to protect the socially underprivileged and to complement the market function for the efficient distribution of wealth.

What is globalism?

Globalism rejects cronyism, the monopoly of national resources by a privileged few and collusion between politicians and big business interests that characterized past administrations. Globalism encourages the people's participation in State, social and economic affairs and seeks a social consensus based on universalism and international norms.

Globalism defies nationalistic practices and "Asian values" that are basically self-serving and defensive. It does not deny national identity or promote is disappearance; it aims to discover and appreciate both the adversities and triumphs in a nation's past.

Globalism is the most practical way to overcome the crisis, unemployment, regionalism, the lack of national consensus and the confrontation with North Korea.

What are the three principles?

The universalism of the 21st century can be represented by the spirit of freedom, justice and efficiency; the underpinning of the second nation-building.

The principle of freedom encourages diversity and creativeness in education, science, the media and culture. Deregulation will be carried out by the central Government, political parties, local governments and other public sectors.

The principle of justice concerns the law, and under democracy, nobody is above the law. This principle is instrumental in promoting human rights, a social consensus, equal employment opportunities and civic activities. It promotes balanced development and equality in such matters as the distribution of national wealth, welfare, environment and the middle class. Justice also requires eradicating corruption and irregularities through the Government's regulatory reform as well as renewing the discipline of the civil servants.

The principle of efficiency applies to resolving all old and new issues involving Government-business collaboration, deregulation, distribution or delegation of decision-making to lower-echelon structures of the government, local autonomy, business and labor organizations. Restructuring of both public and private sectors must be carried out constantly.

What are the three guidelines?

The first guideline for the second nation-building is to carry out reform with emphasis on substance over form. Reform must be made persistently instead of being staged in one big event and then stopped. The second guideline is that reform should be initiated from the grassroots level. The direction of the movement has to be "bottom up" instead of "top down". Only the participation of the people guarantees success of the movement. The third guideline is that society's leaders should act as role models in the reform movement. Reform cannot succeed if the people do no trust their leaders.