Current Korea

“Keeping My Promise
to the People”

Looking Back on the Moon Administration’s First Year

On May 10, Korea’s President Moon Jae-in marked the end of
his first year in office. In his early days, he has made an impression as an
approachable head of state, posing for selfies with neighbors on his way to work,
going on walks after lunch with his staff, and visiting the less fortunate among us.
Everyone hopes he will stay that way. How well has the president
kept his promise to “stay with the people always, true to our roots?”
We look back on Korea and the president over the past year.

Edited by Park Ji-yeon

Promise of Peace and Prosperity

The president has always stressed that dialogue is necessary to relieve tensions on the Korean Peninsula and to open the path to peace. North Korea and the U.S. responded positively to his perseverance and sincerity, and inter-Korean relations hit a turning point at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Not only did North Korea participate in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, but also a high level delegation visited the South. This was followed by South Korea sending special envoys to the North, and news of an Inter-Korean Summit to be held in April. It was held at the symbolic location of Panmunjeom on April 27. The Inter-Korean Summit drew interest from around the world, as it was the first visit by a North Korean head of state to the South since the national division. The leaders of the two Koreas jointly made the Panmunjeom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula, agreeing to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the creation of a “peace regime,” the alleviation of military tensions, mutual non-aggression, and a comprehensive and ground-breaking development in the inter-Korean relationship.

The efforts to build the foundation for peace has led to the success of the Inter-Korean Summit and to huge diplomatic accomplishments. The strategy of maintaining a strong security foundation based on a robust South Korea-U.S. alliance was coupled with multilateral diplomacy with the international community to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis and to create opportunities for economic prosperity.

Strong efforts were also made to speed up the normalization of the South Korea-China relationship. President Moon developed empathy for the normalization of bilateral exchanges and cooperation, as well as the development of practical partnerships, through three summits with President Xi Jinping.

President Moon demonstrated sincerity and thoughtfulness, regardless of differences in national power or stance, moving the other heads of state and making great strides and building trust through diplomacy within the span of a year.

Promise to Communicate

Over the past year, the government has been rectifying policies, institutions and practices deemed unjust by the people. For example, it has been working to eliminate the wrongs of the past, such as state-issued history textbooks and the abuse of presidential power. It has clamped down on corrupt recruitment practices at public organizations, expanded fair and merit-based recruitment processes, called “blind recruitment” and moved away from the mistakes of the past.

Taxes were increased on giant corporations and extreme high-income earners, while tax benefits for the middle class and low-income groups were increased to improve equity. The government is also working on a social innovation campaign to protect the values of human rights, safety and consideration for minorities.

Remembering the candles that lit up Gwanghwamun Plaza, the government created “Gwanghwamun 1st Street” to enable open communication with the people. Any Korean citizen can make suggestions to the government through Gwanghwamun 1st Street, and the government reviews these suggestions and reflects them in future policy goals. The decision for a change in the nation’s energy policy was made through public discourse, and a constitutional amendment was also drafted by collecting and consolidating a wide range of public opinions. Questions and requests posted on the Cheong Wa Dae petition board also received prompt and sincere responses, showing the government’s commitment to open communication with the people.

Promise of Job Creation

The promise to solve the problem of job creation is being fulfilled in stages through a five-year roadmap for employment policy, and the creation of a Presidential Committee on Jobs. The president’s first official duty was to visit a workplace, and the first thing he did as president was to install a jobs bulletin in his office. Two days after his inauguration, he held a meeting with non-regular employees at the Incheon International Airport Corporation to announce his intention to launch a program to convert non-regular employees into regular employees in the public sector. Following through with this plan, over 100,000 non-regular employees in the public sector became regular employees and this was confirmed by the end of March this year, reaching half of the final target.

Other policies to protect safety and rights in workplaces, all while achieving a healthy work-life balance, included raising the minimum wage, eliminating discrimination against non-regular employees and establishing a legal upper limit of 52 hours per week for working. Special attention was paid to policies for youth, including solutions for housing, tax breaks, an entrepreneurship fund and subsidies for additional employment, all targeted at youth.

Promise of Policies That
Make a Difference

The president also implemented economic welfare policies focused on improving quality of life, effecting changes that can be felt in the lives of people everywhere. He went out to the people to hear their voices, and announced policies closely related to the lives of ordinary people.

To reduce the burden on ordinary people and vulnerable groups in an era of recession and growing income polarization, the government has turned to policies aimed at creating a more inclusive financial system, such as the lowering of the maximum legal interest rate on loans, and the introduction of a range of low-interest financial instruments for average income earners.

Understanding that the attitude toward vulnerable groups in society is the measure of that society’s maturity, changes to bring hope to the less-privileged among us are being implemented, including the phased abolishment of the requirement for people to support their elderly parents and the elimination of a disability rankings system. Support for children in single-parent families has been expanded, and punishments increased for online sexual crimes, stalking and dating violence. Additionally, the government is leading the way in breaking the glass ceiling, with women being appointed to 30 percent of ministerial positions.

In line with the fundamental principle of making policies based on respect for human dignity, new support plans to reduce the five major household financial burdens -- housing, medical costs, education, communication and transportation -- have also been implemented. In a country where people come first, not money or status, where people can trust in their lives, there will be no women who have to give up their careers to raise children, no ferry tragedies, and no need for the #MeToo movement, which recently sent shockwaves through society.

Promise to Keep Walking in the
Shoes of the People

Although it would be impossible to list here all of the Moon administration’s achievements over the past year, there’s a common vein running through them. They all stem from efforts to keep his promise to “stay with the people always, true to our roots.” However, even with the many changes made over the past year, the president still sees more work to be done, and areas where he has failed to meet the expectations and hopes of the people. Foreseeing more changes that the people will want, the government has analyzed big data from social media and the Cheong Wa Dae petition board, identifying 15 areas at the center of public interest to map out a clearer plan to meet the expectations of the people. A new promise has been made, to implement comprehensive improvements in safety, the environment, childcare, education, livelihoods, youth employment, economic democratization, healthcare and diplomacy.

Now it’s time for the government to look past the promises of the past year to promises for the future. With the continued support of the people, the government is determined to take the nation further down the proper path. Let’s hope that by the time the president’s term has come to an end, he will have achieved his wish to hear the people say, “Yes, our lives have changed a lot, they have become much better.”

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