A President Capable of Writing His Own Speeches

A president's success cannot be solely personal. When a president fails, the cost ultimately falls upon the 'people.' Here, 'people' refers to both those who supported the incumbent president in the previous election and those who did not. There are growing voices pointing out the vicious cycle where a president's failure becomes the nation's failure, ultimately leading to the people's failure. This is why a president's success cannot be viewed from a partisan perspective. Based on this critical perspective, EAI launched the project "Conditions for Presidential Success" in 2002. Subsequently, through the projects "Conditions for Successful Presidential Transition" (2007) and "Conditions for the President in 2013" (2012), EAI has sought institutional measures for the desirable role, authority, and responsibilities of the president in the democratization era every five years. The initial critical perspective evolved into research on securing stable national leadership alongside institutionalization.

National governance cannot be an object of practice and experimentation. The cost of early-term experimentation by an unprepared president is a national loss. Without accumulated experience of success and failure, national governance will either be executed without learning from the achievements and limitations of previous administrations, or the timing for execution will be missed due to the time invested in learning. EAI intends to identify the starting point for the Presidential Success Conditions project from the national governance experiences of former and current high-ranking public officials, National Assembly members, and presidential secretaries, and to convert this into a knowledge database. Upon inauguration, or when the Presidential Transition Committee is formed, the president must possess a concrete action plan for the vision of the Republic of Korea and the major initiatives to be pursued during the five-year term. The reason EAI is preparing "Conditions for the President in 2018" earlier than previous projects is along the same lines.

On March 7, 2016, EAI invited former Gangwon Province Governor Lee Kwang-jae to conduct the first roundtable for "Conditions for the President in 2018." Former Governor Lee Kwang-jae summarized the qualities of a successful president as the ability to reflect the spirit of the times, discerned through one's own experiences, in one's own words within speeches.

“Solving the problems of your neighbor” is the starting point of politics

“A politician is a merchant who sells hope,” said Napoleon. I find a clue to the essence of politics and discourse in this statement. That is, politics must start from “solving the problems of your neighbor.” The center of our body is not the head, the chest, or the eyes. It is the most painful spot that person feels at that moment. Even a single pimple can focus all of a person's attention there. Politics is the same. We must identify the most painful spot in our society and start from there. That is where the spirit of the times is born. It is the starting point for generating discourse that creates power.

To summarize the qualities of a successful president, it is the ability to write one's own speeches. A smoothly written speech by someone else will not suffice. The spirit of the times, discerned through one's own experiences, must be reflected in the speech in one's own words. When a president who can write such speeches emerges, we will have a meaningful presidency.

The scope of change a president can effect is limited

People believe that a successful president must have their own unique agenda. This is not incorrect. However, it is wrong to believe that a president can change South Korea entirely or to a great extent. There are limits to what a president can do. If a US president can change American society by just 5 percent, it is considered a significant change. One should not believe that a president can change the entire country. The very idea of changing everything must be abandoned. A five-year presidential term is considerably insufficient to make a country prosperous, but it is enough time to ruin it. Defining the scope of what a president can achieve during a five-year term is a prerequisite for success.

The public looks at the present, but the president must look to the future: Establishment of a National Future Strategy Agency

There are about three issues for the success of the President of the Republic of Korea. First, the ability to produce discourse, that is, vision, must be cultivated. The masses look at the present; the few look to the future. National leaders must look to the future. Who is creating the future vision for South Korea today?

Regrettably, there is currently no department dedicated to long-term research, forecasting, and planning for the nation's future. In the past, the Economic Planning Board played this role, focusing on economic growth. Now is the time for an agency that can conceive future strategies for the nation as a whole, broadening its scope. Although national research institutes consume substantial budgets, they are not fulfilling this role because they operate only in directions set by the government. Private think tanks should also play a part, but the environment in Korea is not conducive to their activities. The think tanks of ruling and opposition parties are more focused on election polls than policy development. Universities are also failing to generate the knowledge needed to tackle real-world problems. Considering all these conditions, a National Future Strategy Agency must be established.

The starting point of discourse production capability: 'Man-eon System' + Elite Recruitment System

To enhance the nation's discourse production capability, I propose what is known as the 'Man-eon System.' The experiences and know-how of high-ranking officials who have served in senior government positions must be documented and incorporated into the national system. The capabilities of senior officials should not be limited to their individual abilities; they must be transferred as national capabilities. A national system must be created for the integrated management and re-employment of their experiences. Another condition for discourse production is the establishment of an effective elite recruitment structure. Based on experience, bureaucrats, businesspeople, and academics erect barriers among themselves even when pursuing common projects. Academics criticize bureaucrats for lacking "soul." Bureaucrats criticize academics for lacking problem-solving skills. Businesspeople, observing the debates between bureaucrats and academics, despair that "little of their discussion is implementable." Discourse production can only advance if an elite recruitment structure is established that allows national talents to break down entry barriers and foster cooperative systems.

South Korea, a soccer field with pitch invaders: The Necessity of Integration-Friendly Democracy

The second issue related to the conditions for presidential success is the problem of democracy that pursues integration over division. The current South Korea is like a soccer field with pitch invaders. There are multiple goals and multiple balls. The progressives claim a goal when they put the ball in a goal they created, but the conservatives do not recognize it. The conservatives also do not recognize a goal scored by the progressives. National destiny narratives suggest that a nation with such divisions has no future. We must contemplate a democracy that pursues integration. Specific measures to consider at this point include the medium-sized constituency system and a bicameral legislature. As Kenichi Ohmae stated, since Japan shifted to a small constituency system, "big politicians" have not emerged. The small constituency system is highly unsuitable for nurturing national leaders with experience and vision. The side effects of the so-called "reshuffle theory," which emerges every election, necessitate consideration of the medium-sized constituency system. The reason for a bicameral legislature is the problem with "representativeness" that considers only people, excluding territory and the natural environment. A constituency in Gangwon Province, with a small population, covers an area more than ten times larger than a constituency in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area. The current system, based solely on population, results in over-representation of the Seoul metropolitan area and under-representation of the provinces. It is a system that does not reflect the future value of territory and environment. A bicameral legislature, where the lower house is based on population and the upper house on administrative districts, can better reflect future values.

Similar pledges between ruling and opposition parties should be legislated before the election: Laying the foundation for coalition government

Divided, we perish; united, we thrive. This is a law of history. Coalition governments must be actively studied and practiced. As is the case globally, policies in Korea, under a divided system, are bound to converge towards the center. As confirmed in several past presidential elections, there are often no significant differences in pledges between the ruling and opposition parties before the election. However, after the election, these pledges are not kept, resulting in losses for the public. To prevent this harm, similar pledges between the ruling and opposition parties should be legislated in the National Assembly before the presidential election. The proposal is to pass into law, through bipartisan consultation before the election, the pledges that are to be pursued after the election. This proposal not only serves to control populist pledges but, more importantly, lays the foundation for pursuing coalition government in this process. It increases the possibility of appointing members of the opposing party as ministers or high-ranking officials for policies that have already been legislated. The spirit of integration through coalition government is a prerequisite for presidential success. In addition, to enhance national governance capabilities, ruling party floor leaders should serve as vice ministers to strengthen cooperation between the National Assembly and the executive branch. The chronic problems of confirmation hearings must be addressed by the government making a resolute decision to establish an inspection agency under the Prime Minister's Office. This will prevent National Assembly members from becoming 'private detectives' and allow confirmation hearings to focus on policy, enabling the appointment of national talents beyond partisan disputes.

Strengthening the National Assembly Support System: Enactment of the Four Major Powers Committee

The third issue concerning the conditions for presidential success is the strengthening of the National Assembly support system. The goal is to create a system through which the world's best information and knowledge can be delivered to the National Assembly. It is not that individual National Assembly members are incompetent due to laziness or lack of patriotism. To create a system that allows for proper legislative activities, committees that can enhance diplomatic and economic capabilities must be established. To survive amidst the four major powers, a committee responsible for the four major powers must be legislated within the National Assembly. The Committee on China in the US Congress can serve as a model. This committee must be staffed with genuine experts on each of the four major powers. Diplomat training should also be reviewed from the same perspective. Specialized diplomats for each of the four major powers must be cultivated. The current practice of sending diplomats to the US, then to remote regions, and then to China, does not allow for the development of diplomats with sufficient experience and expertise in their respective regions. Furthermore, the budgets of relevant agencies such as the NIS Overseas Division, the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, and the National Defense University need to be integrated. The key is that high-ranking officials in related fields must be managed at the national level to enhance problem-solving capabilities and effectively deploy diplomatic resources.

A System for Nurturing National Talents Beyond Party Lines

A company develops to the extent of its CEO. A nation grows to the extent of its national leader's capabilities. Both Rome and the United States became the world's strongest powers within 80 years during their periods of prosperity. Leaders capable of managing the nation, Northeast Asia, and the world must be nurtured. The existence or absence of leaders determines the future of a nation. It takes dedication and effort to grow even a single tree. All parties must exert their capabilities and efforts, transcending partisan lines, to nurture national talents.■

Lee Kwang-jae previously served as the planning team leader for Roh Moo-hyun's presidential campaign, Director of the National Situation Room in the Presidential Secretariat, and as a member of the 17th and 18th National Assemblies, before serving as the 35th Governor of Gangwon Province (5th popularly elected governor).

Moderator

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

Discussion

Kang Won-taek, Professor at Seoul National University

Kim Seok-ho, Professor at Seoul National University

Kim Jae-il, Professor at Dankook University

Kim Tae-young, Professor at Kyung Hee University

Na Tae-jun, Professor at Yonsei University

Park Won-ho, Professor at Seoul National University

Park Hyung-joon, Director of EAI Governance Center, Professor at Sungkyunkwan University

Lee Nae-young, Director of EAI Public Opinion Analysis Center, Professor at Korea University

Han Gyu-seop, Professor at Seoul National University

Han Seung-joon, Professor at Seoul Women's University

Han Jeong-hoon, Professor at Seoul National University

Bae Jin-seok, Senior Researcher at EAI

Kim Bo-mi, Research Fellow at EAI