Conflict Removal a Must for Korea’s Advance

Oh Myung Konkuk University President By Cho Jae-hyon, Kang Shin-who Staff Reporters From ideological rift to constant clashes between labor and management, South Korea is a nation full of conflicts. This seemingly everlasting strife remains a major damper on the country's potential to join the ranks of developed nations. "If conflicts continue to deepen, we will shrink to a peripheral nation just sitting next to China. But if disaccord dissipates, China will become our market and Korea will emerge as one of the top countries in the world," Konkuk University President Oh Myung said in an interview with The Korea Times. A former deputy premier and well-known technocrat, Oh said the country has been spending a phenomenal amount of money to resolve social differences and the costs will continue to surge. "The money our country is investing to resolve issues is equal to about 27 percent of GDP, according to reliable research institutes," he said. "No matter how high the GDP figure rises, it will be meaningless if conflicts remain unresolved." Of course, the easing of these clashes is not a sufficient condition for Korea to leap forward in the 21st century. Another key element is further development of the IT industry, Oh said. "If we dispel conflicts and if we continue to strengthen our information and technology prowess, Korea will become a true powerhouse," he said. Oh, nicknamed the "IT evangelist," has met with presidents of Colombia and other Latin American and African nations to talk with them on how to develop their IT industry. He said Korea has achieved rapid, compressed economic growth over the last few decades at the expense of happiness, noting that the happiness index for Korea is way below that of China and Japan. So, what's needed to dispel conflicts and make the people happier? Oh, who served as a minister at several government departments from the early 1980s, believes Koreans have sacrificed themselves too much for their children and this attitude is the seed of future disputes and unhappiness. He said the "goose father," who stays here alone to earn money and sends his wife and children overseas for education, is a case in point. "We ourselves must be happy among other things. Then conflicts will disappear," Oh stressed. "Sacrificing ourselves for our children is the wrong idea. We should stop that." At the same time, studying overseas does not guarantee happiness for their children. "A middle-aged housewife is working as a housemaid at my home. I found out that she is working to earn money for her child's study of English in the Philippines," Oh said. Korean parents sell houses and rice fields to send their kids to Ivy League schools, he said. "Many Korean students go to Harvard thanks to their goose mothers and goose fathers. But are they happy? I don't think so," he said. "The answer lies in thinking that we ourselves ― neither our children nor the next generation ― should be happy first." If we continue to sacrifice ourselves for the next generation, conflicts will deepen and the country will remain a third-rate country with its per capita income staying below $20,000, he concluded.

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