Conditions for a Prepared President and Successful Leadership

In response to the evolving demands of the era following South Korea's democratization, EAI has, through projects such as 'Conditions for a Successful Presidency' in 2002 and 'Conditions for a Successful Presidential Transition' in 2007, sought institutional measures for the desirable roles, powers, and responsibilities of the president in the post-democratization era. Now, there is an urgent need to establish stable institutional frameworks for the increasing demands for political participation and communication amidst the changing political landscape due to the spread of SNS technology.

Accordingly, EAI planned 'Conditions for a Successful Presidency in 2013' to examine the conditions for building governability and successfully fulfilling the presidential duties, reflecting on the achievements and methods of state administration by past administrations and exploring new avenues suited to the contemporary political environment.

On August 9, 2012, EAI hosted the 8th Roundtable, inviting Han Kwang-ok, former leader of the Millennium Democratic Party and former Chief of Staff to the President during the Kim Dae-jung administration. The main points of the meeting are summarized as follows.

Defining a successful president is not a simple task. Above all, it is necessary to evaluate past presidents within the context of their respective historical circumstances rather than making simplistic judgments of success or failure. While a perspective that negates all former presidents prevails in our political reality, unconditionally rejecting the past is extremely dangerous. Most people easily negate the past based on political gains and losses, but they themselves fall into a vicious cycle of being negated in turn at a later point. In reality, although the process of each presidency differs, there are bound to be achievements and shortcomings in their performance. It is necessary to acknowledge the achievements while reflecting on the shortcomings. In this regard, exploring the conditions for a successful presidency should be approached from a positive perspective, focusing on improving past mistakes rather than negating the past. Here, we will examine the conditions for a successful presidency based on the experiences of President Kim Dae-jung.

Presidential Leadership and State Administration Performance

D. Gergen posits that to build responsible and competent presidential leadership, one needs leadership from within (character, personality, intellectual capacity, courage, prudence, etc.), accurate goal-setting, persuasive power, cooperation with the public, Congress, and the media, immediate policy implementation upon inauguration, the appointment of capable and prudent staff, and the ability to inspire those around for task execution. Among South Korea's past presidents, President Kim Dae-jung can be considered a representative figure who possessed these qualities.

President Kim Dae-jung possessed immense willpower and tenacity, evidenced by his three electoral defeats and eventual victory after four attempts, a rarity even on a global scale. He harbored a strong aspiration to become a great president. Furthermore, he was more knowledgeable about case studies than any practitioner and possessed erudition comparable to that of a scholar. During his three electoral defeats from the 7th presidential election in 1971 onwards, he cultivated the capabilities of a "prepared president," developing theories such as the "Theory of People's Economy" and the "Theory of Security for the Four Major Powers." Immediately after his election, he established the "parallel development of democracy and market economy" as his firm state administration philosophy and presented the three major goals of the "People's Government": overcoming the foreign exchange crisis and revitalizing the economy, improving inter-Korean relations, and advancing democracy. To achieve these goals, he vigorously pursued reformist policies from a centrist standpoint. The fact that reforms could be driven proactively by a minority government within a power-sharing structure was due to his deep understanding of the zeitgeist. It is hoped that the next president will be an individual with a clear vision for social integration, democracy, economic development, welfare, and inter-Korean unification.

Independent of an individual's capabilities, the political and economic environment is a crucial variable for successful state administration. The most urgent task for President Kim Dae-jung, who took office amidst the foreign exchange crisis, was to stabilize financial markets and prevent national bankruptcy. He demonstrated leadership by brokering a compromise between labor and management, a prerequisite for introducing IMF loans, and by initiating the "gold collection campaign" and the "unemployment relief campaign." Notably, his persuasive leadership was instrumental in convincing labor unions to form the Tripartite Committee on Labor, Management, and Government, reaching an agreement that unavoidable layoffs could be resolved. Following his inauguration, despite the structural limitations of the DJP coalition government and the weaknesses of a power-sharing administration, he achieved considerable success through reforms in the four major sectors—chaebol, finance, public sector, and labor—promoting informatization projects to discover new growth potential, and implementing various policies to stimulate the economy, thereby successfully overcoming the IMF management system early. The most significant achievement of the Kim Dae-jung administration was the improvement of inter-Korean relations. He consistently pursued an active North Korea policy, known as the "Sunshine Policy," culminating in the announcement of the June 15th Joint Declaration through an inter-Korean summit. The Sunshine Policy holds great significance as a catalyst that transformed the Cold War system on the Korean Peninsula into a post-Cold War peace system, enabling a new phase of exchange and cooperation between the North and the South.

Lessons for Successful State Administration

The most critical issue for a national leader to guard against is problems related to close associates and relatives. Like his predecessors, President Kim Dae-jung also revealed significant leadership limitations due to corruption involving relatives and close associates. Beginning with the "robe lobbying scandal" in his first year in office, various instances of corruption and scandals involving influential figures and relatives emerged, ultimately leading to the arrest of his brother-in-law and two sons. These issues with close associates and relatives inflicted a fatal moral wound on President Kim Dae-jung, leading to the collapse of his leadership. To address these recurring problems of corruption involving close associates and relatives, which occur without exception in every administration, relying solely on the prosecution is insufficient. Institutional strengthening measures, such as the establishment of an independent special prosecutor's office for high-ranking officials, capable of functioning effectively within the Korean cultural context, are necessary.

In conjunction with this, ensuring fairness in personnel appointments is crucial for successful state administration. Due to his long years in the opposition, President Kim Dae-jung had many comrades who suffered alongside him and individuals he felt indebted to and needed to support. In such circumstances, rational rewards and recognition were necessary. While those to whom he owed a debt should be rewarded, public office should be allocated to capable individuals. In this regard, personnel appointments in the Blue House are extremely important. The Blue House should be staffed with individuals who share the President's vision, and care must be taken to prevent those seeking personal gain from power from entering. Public office should never be treated as "spoils of war." Furthermore, core staff members need to accurately assess their positions, maintain a high sense of responsibility, and adopt a humble attitude, lowering their authority. Like the saying "The sea does not reject any river" (海不洋水), it is necessary to respect the opinions of others with a humble attitude while pursuing one's own objectives. In bureaucratic appointments, order is established when those who work diligently are promoted. If incompetent individuals are promoted through connections, the bureaucratic system will not function properly. To effectively manage the bureaucratic system and secure loyalty, fair and just appointments must be made.

On the other hand, President Kim Dae-jung, along with President Kim Young-sam, was a boss with strong charisma, commanding a large following formed during the long pro-democracy movement. Consequently, he embodied the image of a democratic activist and, simultaneously, an authoritarian leader. His dedication to personally overseeing all aspects of state administration, and his role as an expert in economic and unification issues, leading to direct decisions on major policies, have been evaluated as autocratic or neo-authoritarian leadership. When a president pursues policies with conviction and confidence based on expertise, it inevitably places a significant burden on aides and the cabinet. Politics and policy are not solitary endeavors; regardless of how correct one's position may be, support from public opinion, the National Assembly, and civil society is essential. In this regard, the president must directly listen to the voices of the people. State administration should not rely solely on reports. The president needs to consider institutional policy communication systems that involve meeting more stakeholders, including ministers, and gathering information directly.

Institutional Improvements for Presidential Success

For successful state administration, smooth relations between the president, the National Assembly, and political parties are paramount. For policies to be effectively implemented, legal and institutional support must first be provided by the National Assembly. To this end, the president needs to engage in persuasion, consultation, and deliberation with the National Assembly. It is self-evident that the president will face difficulties in governing effectively if distanced from the National Assembly. The relationship with political parties is similar. Since the separation of the Blue House and the party following President Roh Moo-hyun's tenure has actually made state administration more difficult. When elected president representing a political party, one must not overlook that implementing that party's policies is serving the people. Political parties must also be operated democratically. Parties need to be reborn as policy-centered entities rather than personality-centered ones. Once parties are properly established, they should function as political training grounds for nurturing competent politicians. To overcome political distrust in our society and mature democracy, political parties, the center of politics, must first find their proper place.

In this context, efforts to fundamentally transform the framework of Korean politics are necessary. In particular, as long as the current five-year single-term presidency remains in place, it will be difficult to escape the vicious cycle of repeated public expectations and disappointments regarding the administration. The five-year single term was a transitional, albeit distorted, system established during the democratization process to prevent presidential dictatorship. Furthermore, the current system, with its excessive concentration of power, serves as an institutional source of administrative irresponsibility and crony corruption, making it difficult to find any logical justification for its continued existence. To promote national development in response to the demands of the era and to cope with changing times, it must be changed to a four-year term with the possibility of re-election to realize responsible politics, and further, it should evolve into a normal system such as a decentralized presidency or a parliamentary cabinet system. Without such institutional improvements, the success of the next president cannot be expected. While it is necessary for the president to prepare for state governance philosophy and capabilities at a personal level, the institutional environment that can support these is a decisive variable that precedes all else. ■

Han Kwang-ok, former party leader, dropped out of Seoul National University's English Language and Literature Department (expelled in 1964 due to the June 3 Uprising). He served as a member of the 11th National Assembly for the Democratic Korea Party in 1991 and as a member of the National Assembly for the Peace Democratic Party in the 13th, 14th, and 15th terms. During the People's Government, he served as the first Chairperson of the Tripartite Committee on Labor, Management, and Government and as Chief Secretary to the President. In 2001, he was elected Supreme Council Chairman of the Millennium Democratic Party. He is currently the Chairman of the Future Unification Research Institute.

Moderator

Lee Sook-jong, President of EAI, Professor at Sungkyunkwan University

Participants

Kang Won-taek, Professor at Seoul National University

Park Hyung-joon, Professor at Sungkyunkwan University

Yoon Sung-yi, Professor at Kyung Hee University

Lee Gon-soo, Senior Researcher at EAI

Lee Nae-young, Professor at Korea University

Lee Jae-yuel, Professor at Seoul National University

Jang Yong-seok, Professor at Yonsei University

Jung Won-chil, Senior Researcher at EAI

Jung Han-wool, Senior Researcher at EAI

Han Kyu-seop, Professor at Seoul National University