(EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on Oct. 9)

No sense of urgency

The Blue House on Tuesday announced a list of 100 policy priorities that the Lee Myung-bak administration would tackle during the remainder of Lee's five-year term.

Significantly absent from the list is Lee's campaign pledge to build a grand
canal system. In light of the worsening economy and mounting public opposition to
the grand canal, the administration was right to drop the project, although there
are indications that it may surface again when the conditions are ripe.
A new policy goal involves the plan to revamp the local administrative system by
abolishing provincial divisions and integrating smaller counties and cities. More
than 100 years old, the system is proving to be outdated and inefficient and
there is consensus among the administration and both the ruling and opposition
parties on the need for rezoning.
If the rest of the list seems familiar, it is because most of the 100 policy
priorities have been announced before. The list is essentially a paring down of
the 193 top policies that were laid down by the presidential transition team
before Lee's inauguration on Feb. 25. It also incorporates policies that were
suggested by Lee in previous speeches: his speech at the opening of the
parliament, a speech at a ceremony commemorating the National Liberation Day on
Aug. 15, and most recently, his speech at a "town meeting."
The 100 policy priorities are based on the five goals of the Lee administration
-- serving the people, a vigorous market economy, an active welfare system, a
country that fosters talent in its people, and a mature state on the world stage.

These are lofty ideals that everyone can appreciate. However, ideals are, more
often than not, difficult to realize because they are too vague or too broad. It
is to the administration's credit, then, that it has actually formulated a plan
to realize those goals. It has also expressed its determination to see that these
policies are carried out -- ministries will hold monthly meetings to check the
progress while the prime minister's office will hold a quarterly review of the
progress.
The government said that it would announce 900 detailed projects in conjunction
with the 100 policy goals sometime this month. The government's efforts to draw
up clear goals and specific tasks that must be undertaken to achieve those goals
should be lauded.
However, given the current economic difficulties, one cannot but question whether
the government's time and energy may not be better utilized. As the Korean
currency continues its freefall and the stock market takes a nosedive, panic is
growing that the country may be headed for a financial crisis. Indeed, it would
have been more pertinent for the government to announce a plan to handle what
many view as a looming crisis. This is why, despite its worthwhile goals, the
list of policy priorities rings hollow in most ears.
People do not want to hear a long list of policy goals right now. They would
rather hear what the government plans to do immediately to prevent a financial
crisis of the sort that hit the country in 1997. There will be time enough for
other policies after the current crisis is defused.
(END)