CATALYSTS OF CHANGE:  An Open Dialogue with the Legendary Leaders of Asia 3

Session 3: Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung

September 30, 2008 15:00 - 16:30 (Seoul)

Watch an excerpt of the session above. (in English as interpreted from Korean)

Transcript (136 KB)

“I believe in the market economy, but not a breakaway market economy. The government has to play a role in monitoring it”.

Credited with leading his country back to economic health from the brink of bankruptcy 10 years ago, former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung offered his views on the current financial crisis engulfing the United States.

With nearly 200 young professionals from 12 Asia Pacific countries tuning in, Kim compared the two, noting that “the size is different, but the nature is the same”, and suggested that the US might find it useful to examine the Korean approach to recovery.

Kim spoke at the third session of “Catalysts of Change” , a unique program which offers emerging young leaders in Asia an opportunity to learn from their seniors organized by GDLN Asia Pacific (Global Development Learning Network), ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) and the World Bank.

Financial Crisis, from Asia to America

Kim’s appearance proved particularly timely as the two major issues which defined his presidency - the Asian financial crisis and the ‘Sunshine Policy’ of engagement with North Korea - have gained renewed significance in today’s world. Speaking through an interpreter, Kim gave his views from the GDLN affiliate in Seoul, the Korean Development Institute in a 90-minute session, fielding questions from around the region via videoconference. 

Looking back on the Asian financial crisis in an opening interview with World Bank Regional Communications Manager Peter Stephens, Kim repeatedly cited the importance of gaining public trust and support.  ‘That was most precious for us. And to gain that support, I had to make everything transparent, to fight corruption. There were many economic difficulties and also political pressure....but public support enabled us to get through hard times” reflected Kim.

Pursuing a Sunshine Policy

North Korea also figured prominently in the discussion with participants. Kim explained his ‘Sunshine Policy’ of engagement with North Korea as a process of promoting peaceful development and building mutual trust after five decades of hostility. Kim reaffirmed its legitimacy, pointing to the current situation. “What is the legacy of sanctions and containment? North Korea expelled IAEA inspectors and tested nuclear weapons”.

Questions focused on other key issues that helped Korea push ahead with economic development. On handling the so-called ‘brain drain’, Kim emphasized the positive aspects of exchanging human resources on a global scale, and opposed curving the flow. “Whether for tourism, study, or missions, when you travel abroad, you come back with new and constructive ideas. That is good”. 

Combating Corruption

Regarding corruption, Kim stressed the importance of cooperation between the government and its citizens. “People should be bold enough to report corrupt practices” . Commenting on the future of Asia, where the center of growth has moved from the ‘four tigers’ to China and India, Kim predicted, “Asia will rise again, but each country must focus on developing intellectual power. All Asian countries will become leaders if they have knowledge and technology”.

Kim touched on his past as a political dissident at various points during the discussion. Questioned on how he managed to forgive those responsible for attempts on his life, “I know how torturous it is to go through political persecution. I decided that when I am on the ruling side, I will not retaliate” he answered.

“People can be like a devil and angel fighting within. They make mistakes. I forgave those who gave me suffering as a person, but not their policies. I cannot forgive bad policies and will not do so in the future”.

---------------

What did our participants think?

To help us improve our programs and services, GDLN AP conducted a survey of Catalysts 3 participants, asking them to evaluate the session based on relevance to work, provision of new information, usefulness of information, usefulness of Q & A, effectiveness of event format etc, using a scale of 1 to 5. 79 responses from 7 sites were collected.

According to the results, the Q & A segment made possible by videoconference was rated highly, receiving an average score of 4.0 or more at 4 sites. “Thanks to the GDLN arrangement, our students were given the opportunity to hear the Korean leaders’ ideas through videoconference” said a participant from Tokyo. “....it was very interesting to listen to Mr. Kim Dae-jung’s answers, as they might not have been well expressed in the japanese papers....”.

The usefulness of information also ranked high, with an overall average of 3.7.  In Indonesia, 78.6% of participants gave it a score of 4, while in Hanoi, 76.9% said the same.

The event format also received high marks for effectiveness, with an average score of 4.2 in Mongolia , 4.1 in Hanoi, and 3.8 in Japan. 

---------------
See the video and feature story on previous sessions in this series.

Session 1 (December 20/21, 2007):
ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong
World Bank Vice President for East Asia Pacific James Adams
http://www.jointokyo.org/en/programs/catalogue/catalysts_1/

Session 2 (February 1, 2008):
Philippines former President Fidel Ramos
http://www.jointokyo.org/en/programs/catalogue/catalysts_2/

Partner(s)

ASEAN; World Bank, East Asia and Pacific

Organizing DLC(s)

Tokyo Development Learning Center

This session is part of a larger program. For more information see CATALYSTS OF CHANGE: An Open Dialogue with the Legendary Leaders of Asia OVERVIEW

Contact Form

Your Name:

Your Email:

Organization:

Subject:

Message: