[imText1]”Merely feeding is not helping North Korean people. We have to help preserve their basic human rights.”
The former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung Bak, a candidate of the Grand National Party for the upcoming presidential election said at the “Table Talk with University Students” held by the university student webzine Bait (www.i-bait.com) at restaurant near by Cheonggyechoen, a stream which flows through the center of Seoul, on the 15th, “There is such a lack of human rights that people themselves do not feel that their rights are being violated.”
He also emphasized, “We have to help resolve food, clothing, and shelter through economic and food support, but we have to help preserve the citizens’ freedom and basic human rights.”
Regarding the Inter-Summit Talks progressing recently, he said, “In the North is the old timer in the diplomatic field, but we have no experience.”
Former mayor Lee said, “If the President agrees to a worrisome responsibility with the North and leaves office, the burden of the next President will be serious. I wish that the President does what the people want and do not worry about.”
He circuitously criticized President Roh, “If the father is upright, then the parents tend to be concerned about their children, but if the father is not, the children worry about the parents. In our society, the citizens worry about their country and their parents, that is the President.”
Lee, whose drinking limit is a single bottle of beer, attempted to create an amiable atmosphere by repeatedly toasting with the college students. At this event, conversations regarding quandaries of the younger generation went back and forth.
The candidate, regarding the autonomy of colleges, said, “Fundamentally, it is a good idea to leave the issue of the entrance examination system to the colleges.” Regarding the tuition raise issue originating from this, he said, “Policies such as increasing subsidies and the amount of scholarship to students in need are needed.”
Upon being asked the question of a potential tax increase for the younger generation due to the actualization of such policies, he gave the opinion, “It is a misunderstanding to create more jobs by increasing the number of civil servants. If the number of civil servants increase, regulations will only go up and it will become difficult to promote enterprises.”
He said, “I will ensure minimizing the capacity of the government and easing the regulations of businesses so that the latter can grow by themselves. I will pursue child support for working women or educational support for the children of poor families by channeling the remaining government budget of around USD22 billion per year.”
Regarding maintaining top approval ratings despite all kinds of negative attacks, he explained, “If it had been another person, she or he would have crumbled. The negative is not the reality, but because the citizens believe that Lee Myung Bak will revive the economy, I can keep my lead.”
By saying “Korean political power is linked with tens of years in the past. I am the one fighting on behalf of the future in the fight between the past and the future,” he contrasted himself with former representative of GNP, Park Geun Hye.
However, regarding his relationship with former representative Park, he expressed his intent of cooperation, “Like the analects of ‘an enemy of an enemy is a friend’ by Mao Zedong, I can hold her hand.”
He stressed further, “I am keeping my patience time and again for harmony after the elections.” Regarding the situation after the elections, “If the losing person does not cooperate, the replacement of political power cannot be realized.”
