Debate is escalating over President Park Geun-hye and the ruling Saenuri Party’s attack on a widespread pessimistic view of the nation’s standard of living, as they have suggested that the perspective harms public morale.

Their campaign against the so-called “Hell Joseon” mentality has prompted criticism from the younger generation, liberal-minded opposition lawmakers and their backers. They counter that the government fails to understand public frustration over worsening income disparity and youth unemployment.

Hell Joseon is a term that compares Korea to a feudal kingdom where social hierarchy is so entrenched that young people feel deprived of the opportunity to climb up the social ladder.

In a speech on Tuesday marking Liberation Day, President Park urged people to steer their mindset beyond “self-depreciation” about their lives and toward “positive energy” that she said has brought Korea economic prosperity.

“There are some newly coined words popular with the public. They are designed to ignore our proud modern history and cast Korea as a hard place to live,” said Park. “Self-depreciation and pessimism will never bring us development,” she said.

According to a poll released in July by the Seoul-based job-hunting portal Job Korea, almost 90 percent of respondents said they view the country as Hell Joseon. Among them, college students aged between 20 and 29 are the most critical.

In a move to dispel such widespread pessimism, the president cited Korea’s miraculous economic success during the 1970s and ’80s, otherwise known as the “Miracle of the Han River,” as an example to show “how great Korea is and how resilient Koreans are.”

Her appeal was echoed by the Saenuri Party.

Its newly elected leader Rep. Lee Jung-hyun, who often depicts his political rise as a rag-to-riches story, suggested that people should take pride in the country’s achievements.

The party is planning to launch a campaign to boost patriotism. Its concerted move is thought to be its typical platform, as it highlights the positive aspects of the country’s modern history marred by dictatorship and oppression, attributing economic achievements to the legacy of late President Park Chung-hee, the father of Park.

The conservative-leaning move was supported by other Saenuri Party members.

“I don’t think even the fellow party members who are young grasp exactly what the government has being doing (for the young people),” said Yoo Chang-soo, a 42-year-old Saenuri official who was elected last Tuesday as a member of the party’s Supreme Council. “The president’s remarks reflect her willingness to address this issue,” he said.

But the opposition parties dismissed the president’s appeal as an anachronistic move, arguing that the approach is empty political rhetoric that does not lay out any concrete measures to analyze and improve the pessimistic prospects of the nation.

“(The president’s remark) was just an old-fashioned approach,” said the People’s Party interim leader Rep. Park Jie-won. “The speech only reminded us of the time when late president Park pushed his agenda during his tenure,” he said.

Kim Man-Heum, a political pundit who heads the Korean Academy of Politics and Leadership, agreed. “Instead of simply instilling hope and optimism into people’s minds, the president should have told them exactly what she can do and how she will address their frustration,” he said.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)