Where’s the honor code?

I look back and wonder whether we have improved over the past 50 years.

Chang Duk-jinThe author is a professor of sociology at Seoul National University. Those who have not lived in the 70s may easily denigrate the period, but it was a remarkable time. There was economic growth that surprised the world, dictatorship and long-term rule. The amazing power that supported society at the base of light and darkness was the strict honor code of the people in public service. Even if they did not necessarily ascend to high positions, even low-level public servants tried not to deviate from the duties of public officials. The rule applied equally not only to themselves but also to their families. The families sacrificed themselves to allow public officials to fulfill their duties first and didn’t get involved in the realm of public affairs.

Some would ask whether I have forgotten the families of the powerful people who took bribery and flattery and enjoyed favors in the authoritarian period with concentrated power and low transparency. It is true. There were some personal deviations, but the average honor code of public officials — regardless of their positions — was far higher than today. Those in power and their families stepped down, were punished or killed themselves in some cases when corruption was revealed. It means that they at least know shame. Western scholars found it amazing how the officials at the Economic Planning Board of Korea and the Finance Ministry of Japan had the highest level of competence and public dedication at the same time.

Fifty years later, the attitude of the public officials is surreal. The President’s spouse has been problematic since the election campaign, but the president simply demands not to mention it. As her problems grew bigger, even the governing party suggested indictment, and conservative supporters largely turned against the president. But no one knows what the president is thinking. He may claim that she fell into a vicious trap, but the top official and his family should not put their personal resentment first.

The truly serious problem is that the conservative government cannot push for the national agenda as it should. The Yoon Suk Yeol government deserves to be recognized for bravely bringing out a national agenda regardless of political advantages. However, public opinion does not look at agendas but watches whether the president follows the code of honor regarding his family. It is hard to avoid criticism that he is obsessed with private matters and messes up public matters.

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and majority Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung exchange greetings at a ceremony to mark the 69th Memorial Day held in the National Cemetery in Seoul on June 6. [YONHAP]

The opposition parties, which criticize the president’s family for not following the rules of honor, are also surreal. The leader of the main opposition party — who faces several serious criminal charges and is set to be sentenced in the first trials for two charges next month — claims that the accusations are fabricated by the prosecution. But contends that in representative democracy, the spouse of the president should be investigated by an independent counsel and brought down even in the middle of his term. It would be just coincidental that bringing down the president meets his own interest to have the presidential election as soon as possible before his legal risk becomes reality. He is denying the testimony that his own spouse enjoyed illegal benefits — including using a corporate credit card for personal purposes — when her hushand was Gyeonggi governor.

The former president — who wished to be forgotten after retirement but repeatedly made highly volatile remakrs — has remained quiet after his daughter was involved in a drunk driving accident. Another opposition leader who held a high-ranking government post under him said that it’s too much to ask the former president to speak about his child who is “an independent adult.” But circumstantial evidence suggests that the daughter was not very independent.

No matter how hard we try to create a good system, it is bound to be incomplete — and the gap should be filled by the honor rules of the people living in the system. As I witness a surreal world where no one cares about shame, I wonder if we have improved over the past 50 years.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.