`It`s now or never`

Southern Italian port city Naples is commonly called as Parthenope. Parthenope was one of the sirens, a mythical creature living in ocean. Her singing skills were so remarkable that nearby sailors were enchanted by her song and lured to shipwreck in the sea. However, Greek mythology hero Odysseus tied himself to the mast and survived from the fatal seduction. Frustrated by the failed attempt to kill the hero, Parthenope killed herself.

As a place where Parthenope rests in peace, Naples is the hometown of Italian folk songs. One of them is "O Sole Mio." The Neapolitan song under the title of "Oh my sun" in Italian was rewritten by Elvis Presley in 1960. The King of Rock n Roll’s version is called "It’s now or never," which expresses love more explicitly than the original version. It made a global hit, selling more than 10 million copies around the world. “It`s now or never, come hold me tight.”

Professor Lee Sang-mook (aged 53) of School of Earth and Environmental Sciences in Seoul National University, who is known as "Korean Steven Hawking," once said "now or never." “When I was facing death, I realized that I have to take action now and it is pointless to postpone later. I came to have a philosophy of life, ‘Now or never.’” The professor probably has earned this perspective in 2006 when he got paralyzed from the neck down by a car accident. Having overcome the severe disability, Lee returned to school and completed a geological prospecting journey across the U.S. for 40 days in 2012, which is quite challenging even to people without disability, with the spirit of "now or never."

President Park Geun-hye mentioned about this song. It was at the joint briefing on "National reform" by the government ministries and agencies. President Park said, “There is a song like this. Was it ‘Now or Never?’ The love won’t wait, so it is now or never.” The president also emphasized that New Year’s goal for all government agencies is also "now or never," even though the objective is different from the song. It is an order for the government ministries to make utmost efforts with commitment that there will be no other chance, like seducing a woman. It is interesting to see that the president, who used extreme expressions such as Jindo dog, guillotine or cancer lump, encouraged ministers by quoting lyrics from a love song. "Now or never," meaning that now is the one and only chance, might be also a desperate message that the public want to send to the Park administration, which has already passed the halfway point of its term.