Everyone speaks of hope in the new year -- progress, promotion, growth, acceptance, and so on. They count their wishes and dream of another wonderful life in the new year. For Koreans entering 2025, however, hopeful wishes are luxuries. Last year, there were too many national incidents and accidents, and the Korean society and people should focus on healing what has been damaged and extended to the new year.
The priority is to normalize a situation in which significant disruptions to the operation of the country are continuing due to President Yoon Suk Yeol's absurd attempt to conduct an insurrection a month ago. President Yoon mobilized the military and police to conduct the insurrection to neutralize the National Assembly and secure his autocratic status.
The solid democratic system prevented his political upheaval. However, follow-up measures such as the confirmation of his impeachment and the investigation of his insurrection are not being carried out swiftly. As a result, uncertainty and anxiety are gripping the country, and the Korean economy is showing severe weakness. I hope that the process of strictly punishing the crimes committed by Yoon Suk Yeol and his followers proceed in a firm and orderly manner in the new year.
Second, we must overcome the national trauma caused by the Jeju Air crash, in which 179 people on board were killed. Since the Republic of Korea has been a single national community for at least 1,100 years, nationalism is relatively strong, and the country is sometimes regarded as a big family.
As a result, when a major accident occurs, trauma is formed nationally, and the entire country is depressed. One hundred and fifty-nine people were killed in the Itaewon crowd crush in 2022, and a marine died during a disaster relief operation in July 2023. The trauma has accumulated as unfairness related to the incidents continues. I hope everyone can start anew with a light heart by minimizing national depression and resolving injustice.
Third, Koreans are deeply saddened by the death of former US President Jimmy Carter. He became imprinted on South Korean society as an elder in the international community who devoted himself to peace on the Korean Peninsula.
In 1994, when the Korean Peninsula was on the verge of war, he visited Pyongyang to resolve the North Korea nuclear issue. He held negotiations with then-supreme leader Kim Il-sung. This negotiations resulted in the adoption of the nuclear freeze agreement, the first step in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. In 2010, he visited Pyongyang again to free a US citizen detained in North Korea. I hope that we begin the march toward peace as he guided us, with the affirmation that war is evil.
Fourth, there is a great regret that we could not properly celebrate writer Han Kang winning the Nobel Prize in literature last year. She noted that humans are contradictory beings capable of cruel violence and generous mercy and carefully observed how language and love can save us.
Ironically, we failed to celebrate her Nobel Prize win because of the president's illegal use of military power to relieve his personal dissatisfaction. The story of a villain who tried to suppress others by mobilizing state violence and the people who risk their lives to protect the principles of peace and democracy is unfolding again in reality. I hope we have time to celebrate the Nobel Prize win fully this year.
Fifth, I wish North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would pursue realistic policies for peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula rather than radical ones. He has declared inter-Korean ties to be a relationship of adversaries since the beginning of last year. He ordered the removal of references to unification and peace from the national literature.
Kim's decision was unacceptable, considering that the South and the North were a single nation-state with more than a thousand years of experience as one national community. Considering that his father and grandfather emphasized national unification and peace, it may weaken Kim's legitimacy. Kim's misjudgment is also unfortunate for neighboring countries because it could cause serious confusion in Northeast Asia. I hope he will contribute to establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula.
Sixth, as the second Trump administration launches, I hope that the damage will be minimized as US President-elect Donald Trump's aggressive policies are expected to cause confusion, conflict and violence around the world. Trump said he would impose new tariffs for the benefit of America, and his policy is likely to violently disrupt the trade order, such as inducing other countries to raise tariffs.
Every time the existing order collapses, there are bound to be many innocent victims. The security order will also experience turbulence. Trump has vowed to get protection money from American allies, saying that US allies are exploiting the United States. In contrast, he implied that he would use moderate policies against traditional adversaries.
It is a sure thing that the world order will be changed. If the US-led international order collapses, each country will likely reverse into a barbaric world in which each country is responsible for its own national survival. The weaker countries cannot avoid damage from invasions by neighboring powers. In the next stage, terrorism will spread because the weaker countries will resort to terrorism to tackle the stronger nations. In the case of South Korea, which uses the South Korea-US alliance as the basis of its national security, the crisis of a weakening alliance is inevitable. As the argument of developing its own nuclear weapons is gaining popularity in South Korea, there is a high possibility that the nation will be sharply divided into two sides. Responsible officials from South Korea and the US should help the South Korea-US alliance develop cooperatively, even in the Trump era.
The wishes above have many interconnected elements. In particular, the change of the president is an urgent priority as it means restoring a platform that can resolve the other issues. I sincerely hope all these wishes go smoothly at the beginning of the new year.
Wang Son-taek
Wang Son-taek is an adjunct professor at Sogang University. He is a former diplomatic correspondent at YTN and a former research associate at Yeosijae. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. -- Ed.
