ANCHOR: Good morning. Today, the 20th Radio and Internet Address to the Nation by President Lee Myung-bak will proceed in the form of an interview. During the program, I will ask the President questions about pending issues concerning state affairs, and the President will answer.

Good morning, Mr. President.

President: Good morning.

QUESTION 1: Today marks the 20th Radio Address to the Nation. I was told that you are paying great attention to these radio addresses and are even correcting the scripts yourself. What do these radio addresses mean for you, Mr. President?

ANSWER: I have been a bit frustrated by the fact that some of my messages have been lopped off arbitrarily. My message would often be taken the wrong way, sometimes out of context and become a subject of heated debate.

The radio address, however, gives me a chance to tell people exactly what I want to say even though it only lasts seven or eight minutes at a time. With that idea in mind, I put the finishing touches on the script myself, and I make much of it in the sense that the address can convey my true intentions to the people. If they continue for a long while, I believe, it will help people get to understand me in the long run.

QUESTION 2: My evaluation as a media professional is that you are good at getting messages across to the listeners even though your voice might get a little raspy from time to time

ANSWER: My voice is a bit different from others. I understand that it is not the ideal voice for broadcasting, which I regret, but many people can now recognize my voice. They say, “That’s the President.” That is an upside to having a unique voice. On my part, it is my sincere heart, rather than my voice, that I would like to convey to the people. Thus, I am making steady efforts with the conviction that people will understand my intentions.

QUESTION 3: I have a question that people are most anxious to ask. When do you think ordinary citizens will be able to break free from this suffocating economic crisis and regain their smiles?

ANSWER: Well, I think most leaders around the world may be receiving this kind of question from their people as all nations are in dire economic difficulties. Whenever heads of state meet together, they all have the same concern. However, is there any leader of any nation who can give a definite answer to this question? That is the point that I feel so much concern about.

Some well-to-do people may heap criticism on me now, but the people from low-income families that I met on a grass-roots tour of many places held my hands and shed tears, imploring me to revive the economy as quickly as possible. They asked me to help relieve the heavy burdens on their shoulders. While doing so, they even comforted me, the President. I felt so sorry for them and, at the same time, thankful. I was truly impressed by them, indeed.

What is all the more regrettable is the fact that ordinary citizens are bound to bear the brunt of hardships whenever a crisis sets in—the bigger the business, the slower the reaction. By the time the economy turns around, however, large conglomerates and mid-sized companies benefit from the recovery earlier than ordinary citizens.

Many countries now praise Korea for having made the most effective response to the crisis. Many experts also say that Korea will achieve the highest growth among OECD member nations next year. Even with this kind of compliments, our response must be cautious. Some argue that we need to brace ourselves for what will come next by putting in place a so-called exit strategy. I think, however, it is too early to do so.

My view is that we need to further our efforts to achieve more growth. The surest answer I can give is that Korea’s economy is recovering faster than any other country even though I cannot say when the economy will turn around. I expect that in Korea, ordinary citizens will be able to benefit earlier than in other countries.

QUESTION 4: You have said that the Government would consider granting amnesty on the August 15 Liberation Day to those from low-income families convicted of petty crimes. How many do you expect will be included on the list?

ANSWER: An amnesty is now under discussion. The Liberation Day amnesty this time will be focused on those from low-income families to stabilize their lives. Some people request that business leaders and civil servants be pardoned, but the Liberation Day amnesty will be granted exclusively to ordinary citizens like farmers, fishermen and self-employed persons. The Government is particularly trying to find and pardon those who have had their driver’s licenses revoked while driving to support their families.

By doing so, the Government will be able to provide support to them in eking out a living. The beneficiaries of the exclusive amnesty will amount to about 1.5 million people, including fishermen, farmers, small-scale business owners and those who have had their driver’s licenses revoked. All of them, with no exception, will be granted amnesty this time. I hope they will be able to take heart a little from the Government amnesty and get off to a new start for the future.

QUESTION 5: It is true that in addition to current economic difficulties, the burden on household budgets stemming from private tutoring costs is staggering, indeed. The Government recently announced a ban on late-night classes at private institutes, but some pointed out that such a step is nothing but a stopgap measure. Do you have more fundamental measures in the making to tackle the problem?

ANSWER: Without detailed action plans, fundamental measures alone will not be able to address the problems. Fundamental solutions together with follow-up measures will work to prevent any side effects in practical terms.

I want to make it clear that students should be able to go to whatever colleges they want only with a public education without any help of private tutoring or institutes. It can’t happen overnight, but that is the way it should be. 

The Government is now working toward that direction, but the general public has yet to realize it. Parents are still hesitant to put their trust in the Government, suspecting that only their children may end up losing out by depending on public education alone.

I believe that many universities, especially the prestigious colleges people desire to attend, will recruit their students through a college admission officer system without administering an essay test starting next year. They will also give more chances to students from provincial regions such as farming and fishing communities.

Beginning next year, KAIST and POSTEC will recruit all their students through interviews without administering an essay test.

According to statistics released by Seoul National University and several other colleges that had recruited students from farming and fishing communities in provincial areas, students from those regions lagged behind their counterparts from cities during the first and second years, but they began to catch up with advanced students from the third year toward graduation, and some of them even did better than them. It is an amazing result.
 

What is more astonishing is the fact that those college graduates who had never had private tutoring are pulling off outstanding performances in the so-called decent jobs. Impressed by this, businesses have started to prefer those kinds of graduates and ask colleges to send such students to them. This trend, in turn, makes universities think twice about the system in a positive light saying, “That is the way we should follow.” 

Education should not only aim at encouraging students to study harder. Rather, its focus has to be placed on character building, fostering of a cooperative attitude and understanding of other people. In addition, it also has to teach how to have an appreciative mind towards others, express appreciation to parents and teachers and understand social issues. The door of universities has to open wide to those students who have received such an education. Then, high schools in rural areas will be able to produce excellent students and become prestigious schools, which could be likened to the proverbial case of “a dragon rising from a creek.” As a result, parents would decide that their children do not need any private tutoring—the goal the Government intends to realize without fail. This will happen soon. Starting next year, most universities will adopt the new admission system. In addition, I expect that around the end of my term in office, the admission procedures of most universities would fully conform to the newly introduced system. If such a new system is actually applied next year, the public would be able to trust what the Government is promising to do.

QUESTION 6: The highly controversial media reform bills have passed the National Assembly. A controversy still remains concerning the legitimacy of the voting procedures. The opposition parties claim that there is an intention to control the media. Taking this opportunity, would you share your views on the domestic media?

ANSWER: The control of the broadcast media and the press by any administration has become a thing of the past. I personally do not want media organizations to simply report in favor of my Administration. In addition, such a lopsided coverage will never occur in the future.

What I want the media to do is to help relay facts to the general public through impartial broadcasting. This fundamental function of the media will not be compromised because of any systemic change. The convergence between broadcasting and telecommunications will help spawn many novel technologies, a trend that is pursued by many countries across the globe. When it comes to competition with other countries in this sector, Korea has the upper hand thanks to its advanced IT. 

However, the absence of a relevant legal framework has so far constituted a stumbling block in expediting such a move, a matter of grave concern to me. On the basis of its advanced technological prowess, it is necessary for the Republic to set up a standard in the area of convergence between broadcasting and telecommunications, thus helping to create decent jobs.

It would have been great if the ruling and opposition parties could have reached an agreement on the bills in the National Assembly. However, a decision on the issue could not be postponed any longer. I am not going to comment on what happened in the National Assembly. What I want to stress rather is the fact that we will lose our chances if we are too late. This is not an issue that has to be interpreted from a political or ideological perspective. The whole world is paying attention to this issue. Many countries have already embarked on a reform of the media laws, and thus, it is highly likely that they see what is happening in Korea regarding the laws as something extraordinary. This is based on what I have seen crisscrossing the world. In this regard, I hope that my fellow Koreans will understand the issue from such a perspective. Eventually, I am sure they will understand it that way.  

QUESTION 7: In a previous radio address, you mentioned taking fundamental measures. Many people wonder what that means. It has caused a lot of talk concerning a cabinet reshuffle and reorganization of Cheong Wa 
 

Dae. Do you have any personnel reorganization plan during your second year in office?

ANSWER: Experts from various sectors will be making assessments of possible fundamental measures. Korea has to move in a direction that will help further progress. In addition, I am committed to humbly accepting what the general public wants. If Korean society becomes divided into a dichotomy, it would be impossible to take even a single step forward.

In the National Assembly, the practice of one party unconditionally opposing what the other party is planning to do has to come to an end. At least, it is necessary to engage in deliberations on an issue from a middle-of-the-road or neutral perspective. I believe that is what the people want. The fundamental measures are not about replacing some officials. Rather, they have something to do with national policies and the direction of their implementation.

Previous administrations have resorted to personnel replacements in the face of political adversities under the guise of reform or a changeover in state affairs. That could sometimes be helpful politically for a while, but it could also deal a serious blow to government affairs. These days, this is all the more so since the domestic and overseas affairs of the government are closely intertwined. In the case of the economy minister, the domestic and overseas duties are about fifty-fifty. Of course, there might be some people who need to be replaced for the goal of expediting progress. Rather than just a change for change’s sake, such a personnel replacement has to be pursued with the aim of improving efficiency or obtaining a better outcome.  

However, it is not in the interest of our country in this day and age to carry out personnel replacements and to make scapegoats of those who are leaving in order to escape from a politically difficult situation.

 
As of now, Korea holds a remarkable standing in the international community. To my great surprise, the Republic is respected and recognized highly for its capabilities. That said, personnel administration has to match the nation’s elevated status. To put it another way, personnel management should not be carried out only for domestic political goals.

One fundamental measure is to pay attention to the various voices of the people and reflect them in the implementation of policies. The Government is to unveil what the fundamental measures are by taking action one by one. It is not planning to carry out sudden personnel replacements without taking any proper preparations. Accordingly, if the public understands that actions taken one after another by the Government are policies for low-income families in line with middle-of-the-road pragmatism and that fundamental measures are being put into practice by the Government, it would greatly encourage me in fulfilling my duties. 

QUESTION 8: You have recently donated assets worth 33.1 billion won, which were amassed over your lifetime. What is your hope in connection with the donation? 

ANSWER: The donation has just recently been carried out, but I made up mind long ago. My family was so poor that I could not attend school, and I had to sell things on the street. At that time, my mother taught me the invaluable lesson that I had to help those less fortunate as much as possible when the situation allowed me to do so. When I left the business world, I made up my mind to donate my assets, which was made very clear in my book published in 1995. Since then, I have always thought of how to carry out the donation without causing any political misunderstanding. After becoming President, I did not have any motive to use it for any specific political purpose. I wanted to put my idea into action at an appropriate time so as not to cause misunderstanding. This helped give my family and me a new lease on life.

The donation was not aimed at urging the people to follow the suit of the President. It was to keep my word, a course I had to follow. Nevertheless, especially when times are tough, it is necessary for leading businesses in the nation and the people from various social classes to give more serious consideration to making donations if the country is to join the ranks of advanced nations. A rise in the GNP and GDP is not sufficient for a country to become an advanced nation.

QUESTION 9: Mr. President, this is the 20th Radio & Internet Address. Do you have any final comments for the people? 

ANSWER: I could hardly recognize that this was the 20th address. I have always wanted to share what is in my mind through the radio address. I hope that my fellow citizens will be able to appreciate my true intentions. For my part, I will do my best to serve the public. If all of you encourage my Administration, we would be able to fulfill our duties with redoubled courage at home and abroad. The Korean people have truly great potential. I will do my utmost to lay the groundwork for the great prosperity of everyone.

Thank you very much.

ANCHOR: Thank you very much, Mr. President. This concludes the dialogue with the President prepared on the occasion of the 20th Radio and Internet Address to the Nation.

Thank you all!