[Opinion] Elder Statesmen Council

What do the Advisory Council of Elder Statesmen, the National Security Council, the National Unification Advisory Council and the National Economic Advisory Council have in common? They are all presidential advisory councils provided for by the Constitution (Articles 90 to 93). Two differences, however, separate the Advisory Council of Elder Statesmen from the others.

One is that the other councils have a law defining their organization and the scope of their operations in the Constitution, while the elder statesmen council does not. The latter only has related articles in the Constitution. The other is that the other three councils are chaired by the incumbent president, but the elder statesmen council is headed by a former president fresh out of office. Why? In 1987, then President Chun Doo-hwan revised the Constitution to enact an article on the elder statesmen council, and he passed another law one day before his resignation in 1989. He wanted to be an abdicated king at the time, but had to quit after seeking refuge at the Buddhist temple of Baekdam. As a result, the law was abolished in March 1989.

Since then, presidents have gathered respected elders to listen to their opinions. As long as the article stipulating that the elder statesmen council should be chaired by a former president, a real Advisory Council of Elder Statesmen cannot be formed. Naturally, the respected elders have changed according to each government. When former President Roh Moo-hyun selected Kang Man-gil, Baek Nak-cheong and Kwon Geun-sool for the council right before last year’s inter-Korean summit, some complained, “Why does the president even divide senior statesmen?”

President Lee Myung-bak invited Monday Kang Shin-seok, Kang Yeong-hoon, Goh Kun, Kim Jin-hyun, Kim Chang-seong, Nam Duk-woo, Park Tae-joon, Seo Yeong-hoon, Shin In-ryeong, Lee In-ho, Lee Hong-koo and Jo Soon for a luncheon of elder statesmen. Kang Yeong-hoon said, “Recently, I have not been invited to these meetings. I am delighted to be here today.” Hearing the conversations at the meeting, it was very difficult to find anyone who spoke frankly to the president. Some said that considering that five former prime ministers attended, it was very difficult to expect straight talk from the beginning. Former President Roh Tae-woo sought practical advice from senior statesmen, drinking traditional raw rice wine with them. Probably this is what President Lee needs right now.

Editorial Writer Kim Chang-hyeok (chang@donga.com)