'Lee's Top Three'

Some of you may have been keeping an eye or two on the Korean news. I don’t know why you would, but maybe you are concerned for my well-being and to cure your sleepless nights you have tuned onto international news sources to get your fix. For those of you who haven’t been this blog will be of interest to you.

So recently Korea had a presidential election. It was a fun time around Seoul with all nine, yes ‘9’, campaigners had their individual means of selling their political prowess. The most memorable methodology they thrust upon the nation was dancing and singing. All parties would have their own colour (standard) and their volunteers would be in their dozens singing and dancing around EVERY subway station across the capital. The dance moves sent me back to my middle school disco parties when streams and streams of girls would hit the dance floor and bust their moves to the ‘Macarena’.

Anyway, after a prolonged campaign by all parties the time came to tick your box and wait with anxiousness as the results came in and the future of the country would be that little more apparent. Lee Myung-bak won with some ease. I didn’t look into his policies all that much at the time, however I have been reading the ‘Korean Herald’ and talking to Korean friends and colleagues since his appointment and I have mustered up a top three. And for headline purposes I have titled it ‘Lee’s Top Three’ – it has a nice ring to it, I thought.

THREE – Lee wants to build a canal that will stretch the entire length of the country. It will be named the ‘Grand Korean Waterway’. It will be 500km long and wide enough to house cargo ships – so very wide. 20 km of this will be a HUGE tunnel sliding through a mountain range!!! Phenomenal construction.

TWO – I haven’t seen any news on this, but have spoken to a couple of Koreans who insist it’s a goal of Lee’s. He basically wants to connect Korea to China and Japan by underwater rail. So again a tunnel needs to be built. But isn’t Korea to Japan just a bit too far to build a tunnel – I think so. BUT wow if it happens….

ONE – By 2010 English language will be spoken in all high schools. Lee wants all standard subjects, History, Maths, Science etc, to be taught in English – NOT Korean. The thought process behind this policy is that too much money is being spent on private tutoring for English, around $15.8 Billion annually. So he thinks that this will reduce the amount spent privately. I disagree. I think it will pile on more pressure to the children and therefore resulting in them seeking private assistance to keep up with, or be at a higher level, than their fellow pupils at school.

I admire Lee’s ambition and optimism. WORLD – watch this space!!