ID :
37256
Thu, 12/25/2008 - 07:13
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/37256
The shortlink copeid
Yonhap News Agency files today a series of yearender specials on
SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak's first year in office was marked by a string of turbulent and chaotic events, with his presidential performance severely hampered by a roaring controversy over scandal-ridden Cabinet appointees, months of street protests over U.S. beef imports and the outbreak of an economic crisis.
Lee's effort to engage North Korea through dialogue and draw the communist state
out of its isolation has floundered, though his administration is generally
praised for restoring South Korea's alliance with the U.S. and reinforcing its
diplomatic relations with regional superpowers such as China, Japan and Russia.
In domestic politics, Lee has been beleaguered by a rift within the ruling Grand
National Party (GNP) due to his failure to embrace supporters of his GNP
presidential primary rival, Park Geun-hye. The deepening ideological conflict
with the liberal camp over North Korea policy has also been a headache for the
conservative president.
On Dec. 19, 2007, Lee won the presidential election by a landslide, as voters
angered by the then liberal government's economic mismanagement banked on Lee's
success as a construction firm CEO and Seoul mayor while overlooking suspicions
of his involvement in a case of financial fraud. With 11.49 million votes, he
garnered 48.7 percent support of registered voters.
Lee's campaign pledge to double the nation's per capita income to US$40,000,
attain 7 percent economic growth, make South Korea the world's seventh-largest
economy and build a Seoul-Busan waterway had appealed strongly to voters, who
were unhappy with skyrocketing property prices, widening economic polarization
and rising unemployment under the presidency of his predecessor, Roh Moo-hyun.
Lee was sworn in as the new president on Feb. 25, pledging to become a
"CEO-style" president and revive the sagging economy on the basis of his
pragmatic ideals.
Contrary to expectations, however, Lee was immediately dogged by allegations that
he filled almost all his Cabinet and secretarial posts with people with academic,
regional or religious connections to him.
Adding to the public resentment, many of the Cabinet ministers and senior
presidential secretaries were found to have been involved in ethically and
legally problematic real estate transactions years ago. Even the conservative
media denounced Lee's personnel policy, but the overly self-confident president
turned a deaf ear to criticism.
Ahead of his summit with U.S. President George W. Bush on April 19, Lee's hasty
decision to unconditionally open the Korean market to U.S. beef in spite of
public fears of mad cow disease prodded already disgruntled ordinary citizens to
take to the streets for daily candlelight rallies for months.
Ten months later, South Korea's per capita income fell below $20,000 due to the
weakening of the won against the U.S. dollar, while the government lowered its
official economic growth target for 2009 to merely 3 percent.
Lee has been under pressure to give up his inland waterway project, which is
fiercely opposed by opposition parties and environmentalists and is widely seen
as too costly to be executed.
Reflecting widespread public disappointment, Lee's approval ratings have
plummeted to the low 20-percent range in various media polls. Lee's liberal
predecessors, Roh and Kim Dae-jung, had enjoyed approval ratings of 40-50 percent
and 80 percent, respectively, in their first year in office.
The latest opinion poll by the Seoul-based Real Meter put Lee's public approval
rating at 24.3 percent, with 61.2 percent of adults expressing dissatisfaction at
his job performance. As expected, 59.6 percent expressed objections to Lee's
inland waterway project.
A separate survey by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) also found that
49.7 percent of Koreans have a negative assessment of Lee's first year in office,
whereas only 6.5 percent spoke highly of the president's performance.
"Surely, there have been lots of unfavorable external factors. But it cannot be
denied that Lee's arbitrary decision-making style is responsible for his
declining popularity and chaos in state affairs," said Han Gwi-young, a
researcher of the KSOI.
"Lee used to display liberal and change-oriented attitudes in the past. But after
his presidential election win, he has taken deeply conservative positions. The
president is required to fully reexamine his changing stances," Han said.
The Dong-a Ilbo, a conservative vernacular daily, also leveled criticism at Lee's
lack of political leadership.
"Since his victory in the presidential election, Lee has greatly disappointed the
people with his problematic Cabinet appointments, policy blunders and favoritism
in the selection of the GNP's general election candidates, to name a few," the
Dong-a said in an editorial.
"The ruling party still remains divided between supporters of Lee and Park
(Geun-hye). The global financial crisis may have originated from abroad, but the
Lee government and the ruling party should bear full responsibility for the
economic difficulties. Thus, the success or failure of the Lee administration may
hinge on the upcoming year," said the editorial.
Lee, celebrating the first anniversary of his presidential election victory last
Friday, said he remains strongly committed to making South Korea a first-rate
advanced country by implementing sweeping reforms in education, corporate and
political circles and establishing the rule of law.
"I'm determined to get rid of corruption and irregularities in all fields,
including education, corporate management and politics, for the rest of my term.
I'll also firmly establish the rule of law and higher ethical standards in order
to develop our nation into a genuinely first-rate state," said the president.
"I will entirely devote myself to the national development for the next four
years and two months so that I can retire honorably," he said. Lee's five-year
term ends in early 2013.
The president has also sent various signals about a sweeping shakeup of
reform-resistant ranking officials at major ministries, who are blamed for
failing to faithfully carry out the conservative president's reform policies.
Over the past week, all "Grade One" officials at half a dozen ministries,
including education, foreign affairs, agriculture and unification, have offered
to resign, as the Lee administration strives to further distance itself from
policies devised by his liberal predecessor Roh.
Following the upcoming replacement of top government officials, Lee is expected
to conduct a Cabinet reshuffle early next year to revamp the overall
administrative atmosphere ahead of his first inaugural anniversary in February.
ycm@yna.co.kr
(END)
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Lee's effort to engage North Korea through dialogue and draw the communist state
out of its isolation has floundered, though his administration is generally
praised for restoring South Korea's alliance with the U.S. and reinforcing its
diplomatic relations with regional superpowers such as China, Japan and Russia.
In domestic politics, Lee has been beleaguered by a rift within the ruling Grand
National Party (GNP) due to his failure to embrace supporters of his GNP
presidential primary rival, Park Geun-hye. The deepening ideological conflict
with the liberal camp over North Korea policy has also been a headache for the
conservative president.
On Dec. 19, 2007, Lee won the presidential election by a landslide, as voters
angered by the then liberal government's economic mismanagement banked on Lee's
success as a construction firm CEO and Seoul mayor while overlooking suspicions
of his involvement in a case of financial fraud. With 11.49 million votes, he
garnered 48.7 percent support of registered voters.
Lee's campaign pledge to double the nation's per capita income to US$40,000,
attain 7 percent economic growth, make South Korea the world's seventh-largest
economy and build a Seoul-Busan waterway had appealed strongly to voters, who
were unhappy with skyrocketing property prices, widening economic polarization
and rising unemployment under the presidency of his predecessor, Roh Moo-hyun.
Lee was sworn in as the new president on Feb. 25, pledging to become a
"CEO-style" president and revive the sagging economy on the basis of his
pragmatic ideals.
Contrary to expectations, however, Lee was immediately dogged by allegations that
he filled almost all his Cabinet and secretarial posts with people with academic,
regional or religious connections to him.
Adding to the public resentment, many of the Cabinet ministers and senior
presidential secretaries were found to have been involved in ethically and
legally problematic real estate transactions years ago. Even the conservative
media denounced Lee's personnel policy, but the overly self-confident president
turned a deaf ear to criticism.
Ahead of his summit with U.S. President George W. Bush on April 19, Lee's hasty
decision to unconditionally open the Korean market to U.S. beef in spite of
public fears of mad cow disease prodded already disgruntled ordinary citizens to
take to the streets for daily candlelight rallies for months.
Ten months later, South Korea's per capita income fell below $20,000 due to the
weakening of the won against the U.S. dollar, while the government lowered its
official economic growth target for 2009 to merely 3 percent.
Lee has been under pressure to give up his inland waterway project, which is
fiercely opposed by opposition parties and environmentalists and is widely seen
as too costly to be executed.
Reflecting widespread public disappointment, Lee's approval ratings have
plummeted to the low 20-percent range in various media polls. Lee's liberal
predecessors, Roh and Kim Dae-jung, had enjoyed approval ratings of 40-50 percent
and 80 percent, respectively, in their first year in office.
The latest opinion poll by the Seoul-based Real Meter put Lee's public approval
rating at 24.3 percent, with 61.2 percent of adults expressing dissatisfaction at
his job performance. As expected, 59.6 percent expressed objections to Lee's
inland waterway project.
A separate survey by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) also found that
49.7 percent of Koreans have a negative assessment of Lee's first year in office,
whereas only 6.5 percent spoke highly of the president's performance.
"Surely, there have been lots of unfavorable external factors. But it cannot be
denied that Lee's arbitrary decision-making style is responsible for his
declining popularity and chaos in state affairs," said Han Gwi-young, a
researcher of the KSOI.
"Lee used to display liberal and change-oriented attitudes in the past. But after
his presidential election win, he has taken deeply conservative positions. The
president is required to fully reexamine his changing stances," Han said.
The Dong-a Ilbo, a conservative vernacular daily, also leveled criticism at Lee's
lack of political leadership.
"Since his victory in the presidential election, Lee has greatly disappointed the
people with his problematic Cabinet appointments, policy blunders and favoritism
in the selection of the GNP's general election candidates, to name a few," the
Dong-a said in an editorial.
"The ruling party still remains divided between supporters of Lee and Park
(Geun-hye). The global financial crisis may have originated from abroad, but the
Lee government and the ruling party should bear full responsibility for the
economic difficulties. Thus, the success or failure of the Lee administration may
hinge on the upcoming year," said the editorial.
Lee, celebrating the first anniversary of his presidential election victory last
Friday, said he remains strongly committed to making South Korea a first-rate
advanced country by implementing sweeping reforms in education, corporate and
political circles and establishing the rule of law.
"I'm determined to get rid of corruption and irregularities in all fields,
including education, corporate management and politics, for the rest of my term.
I'll also firmly establish the rule of law and higher ethical standards in order
to develop our nation into a genuinely first-rate state," said the president.
"I will entirely devote myself to the national development for the next four
years and two months so that I can retire honorably," he said. Lee's five-year
term ends in early 2013.
The president has also sent various signals about a sweeping shakeup of
reform-resistant ranking officials at major ministries, who are blamed for
failing to faithfully carry out the conservative president's reform policies.
Over the past week, all "Grade One" officials at half a dozen ministries,
including education, foreign affairs, agriculture and unification, have offered
to resign, as the Lee administration strives to further distance itself from
policies devised by his liberal predecessor Roh.
Following the upcoming replacement of top government officials, Lee is expected
to conduct a Cabinet reshuffle early next year to revamp the overall
administrative atmosphere ahead of his first inaugural anniversary in February.
ycm@yna.co.kr
(END)
Download this as a file
