[Opinion] National Commission for Refounding Korea

A cartoon story on the Website of the National Commission for Refounding Korea makes people laugh. “As chairman of the standing committee, I am ready to take on our great mission.” “Refounding or second founding? Will there be the third, too? Isn`t it an organization that comes along with every new government?” “This commission is backed by the government but led by non-government groups.” “What it has been doing so far, then?” The chairman in the cartoon is repeatedly punched on the face while he gives answers. The story ends with a scene when the bruised chairman is finally rushed to the hospital. It is like a very short version of the history of the doomed organization.

There is nothing like the rise and fall of a government campaign advocacy organization when it comes to proving the vanity of power. The Globalization Committee backed by the Kim Young-sam government was also a case in point. The term called `globalization` came out of sudden when the president asked his aides of `what I should say at a press conference tomorrow morning?` as he was aboard the presidential plane toward Australia in late 1994. Then government agencies were rushing to make something out of the vague idea. Amid the fuss came the Globalization Committee. Although it made some contributions like the reform of the judiciary system, it had to face its end when the new government came in power.

Only the Sae-maeul (New Village) Movement has persisted through three decades since the rural area reconstruction project was first introduced under President Park Jung-hee. Still many Sae-maeul movement branches are backed by the government and Sae-maeul flags flying over the buildings of local governments. The nationwide nature of the campaign is seen as a main contributor to its longevity. The refounding Korea movement was in fact modeled after this successful campaign when President Kim Dae-jung envisioned the plan at the 50th anniversary of Independence Day in 1998. Initially, the plan was aimed to set up an advisory panel like the globalization committee, but soon switched to a nationwide civic participation campaign. There began the sad history of the organization. From the very beginning, it invited vehement criticism from the opposition party and the public, and it just managed to stay afloat for the next four and half years. At times people were eager to serve at the commission thinking it was a shortcut to high-ranking position in the government, though.

Booming years of the Sae-maeul campaign were marked by voluntary farming services by college students, who led democratic movements at that time. Key architects of President Roh`s reform policies are also from the farming service generation. The YS government, eager to draw the line between internationalization and its globalization idea, ended in humiliation amid the financial crisis closely related to globalization. While DJ`s refounding commission was aimed at participation on the public level, now the participatory Roh government defines the commission as a failure. Then, we wonder what will be the next irony of the history after 5 years.

Lim Chae-chung, Editorial Writer, cclim@donga.com