(EDITORIAL from the Korea Herald on June 4)

Leadership from Lee

Seoul Plaza, conceived by President Lee Myung-bak when he was Seoul mayor, was to
be a venue for communication and exchange. Witnessing the passion and raw energy
of the Koreans who gathered in front of Seoul City Hall to watch the 2002 World
Cup games on giant screens, Lee said there was a need for a place where people
can gather and "communicate."

It is ironic, then, that Seoul Plaza is today shut off by the riot police buses
that have encircled the plaza. An aerial view of Seoul Plaza shows the circular
green lawn standing empty, blocked off by riot police buses. In your mind's eye,
put a lone figure of Lee standing in the middle of the lawn and you have a
picture of the current state of affairs in the country.
A group of 100 Seoul National University professors called for the recovery of
democracy yesterday, the first time that SNU professors have collectively issued
a statement in five years. In 2004, 88 professors issued a statement opposing the
impeachment of then President Roh Moo-hyun.
On Tuesday, 30 civic groups jointly held a press conference where they criticized
the government for using force to rule. "The government is not communicating with
the people," the group said. On May 28, 102 prominent Koreans issued a statement
calling for the cabinet to resign and demanding sweeping changes in the
administration's policies.
The administration claims that the opposition and civic groups are exploiting
Roh's death to their political advantage. While there may be some efforts to
politicize Roh's suicide, the government must understand why hundreds of
thousands of people are in mourning.
The people who paid their last respects to Roh at makeshift altars, the crowds
that attended the funeral rites at Seoul Plaza and the long parade of people who
followed the funeral procession were not only remembering Roh, but expressing
their discontent with the current administration. They are mourning the passing
of the more open, democratic Korea envisioned by Roh.
The people who silently bore their resentment and dissatisfaction with the
policies of the Lee administration found an outlet for their feelings in the form
of mourning for Roh -- a man who stood for the common people and championed the
causes of the poor and the disadvantaged. Lee and his officials ignore the
people's tears at their own peril.
Given the current economic crisis and mounting security tensions on the
peninsula, the country should focus its energy on meeting those challenges. In
order to do that, some sort of reconciliation should take place between the
government and the people at the earliest possible moment. And the only way
reconciliation can begin is for the president to reach out to the people.
Instead of keeping aloof and maintaining silence, Lee should take proactive
measures to bring about changes in his administration before it is too late.
Such measures should not be seen as succumbing to unreasonable demands but as an
effort to start anew the administration's relationship with the people.
(END)