[Opinion] President Yoon's Restoration of Intellectualism

[Asia Economy] On the 10th, President Yoon Seok-yeol was inaugurated. In his inaugural address, which contained his governance philosophy for the next five years, President Yoon mentioned freedom, global citizenship, and intellectualism.

Critics have scrutinized freedom and intellectualism, complaining that the speech was too pedantic and disconnected from the daily lives of the people, such as unity and livelihood.

But why did President Yoon emphasize freedom and intellectualism? In the short term, it appears to be an effort to restore the value of freedom, which was damaged during the Moon Jae-in administration, and to recover national identity. In the long term, it seems intended to establish historical legitimacy not through the framework of the “(leftist) post-liberation historical perception” of the 1987 democratization system, but through a “(right-wing) re-recognition of post-liberation history.”

In particular, the “(leftist) post-liberation historical perception” has been criticized for serving as a host for Juche ideology, damaging the value of freedom and rooting anti-intellectualism, a point that cannot be ignored.

The characteristics of anti-intellectualism include being obsessed with dogmatism, arrogance, and stubbornness, closing ears and insisting persistently, indiscriminately attacking the opposing side by distinguishing friend from foe, understanding things only as one wishes and accepting them narrowly, and suppressing others by force despite weak evidence and facts. This inevitably narrows the space for experts.

The 586 generation, born from the 1987 system, has long since transformed into a vested interest group riding on democratization. However, the 586 generation fell into the dogma that democratization is the absolute good and that only they can establish democracy. Such prejudice and arrogance are factors that have caused the 586 generation to sink deeper into the quagmire of anti-intellectualism.

We worry about and guard against anti-intellectualism because it increases the possibility of tyranny by the majority and can ultimately justify dictatorship.

The 2020 three lease laws and the 2022 so-called “prosecutorial reform” legislation reveal the true face of anti-intellectualism. Therefore, President Yoon warned of the dangers of anti-intellectualism and called for the restoration of intellectualism in his inaugural address. This is a correct recognition of the times.

In intellectualism, rational and reasonable communication is possible. Of course, when freedom and the rule of law support it, intellectualism shines, and society becomes more trustworthy. In other words, freedom is rational and reasonable in that it regards humans as independent complete beings and broadens the horizon of human activity.

Since World War II, Korea has been the greatest beneficiary of freedom. Thanks to freedom, it rose from one of the poorest countries to the ranks of advanced nations, and it must pass on the experience accumulated from freedom to global citizens to lay the foundation for coexistence and co-prosperity.

In particular, mentioning global citizenship in the inaugural address is highly significant. It expresses Korea’s intention to expand its horizon and fulfill its role as a “freedom-sending country” rather than a “freedom-receiving country” in the international community.

Considering the current political structure in Yeouido dominated by the 586 generation, putting President Yoon’s philosophy from his inaugural address into practice is by no means easy. Fortunately, with the opening of the Yongsan era, a space for communication has been secured, and active communication behaviors have been confirmed.

When rational and reasonable communication becomes possible, the likelihood of intellectualism functioning also increases. Of course, honest and sincere communication must be a prerequisite. We look forward to President Yoon’s further restoration of intellectualism.

Jo Young-gi, Chairman of the Advanced Unification Research Group, Korea Peninsula Advancement Foundation