Park Geun-hye Pushes Korea Towards An Era of $40,000 per Capita GDP
Something I really like about Korean political leaders is how much they focus on setting quantifiable goals to improve their economy:
President Park Geun-hye started off her New Year’s address wishing all Koreans a healthy and happy 2015, in the Year of the Sheep. She said her top priority over the coming year was reinvigorating the economy.
“The government will endeavor to change the fundamentals of the economy so that it is centered on creativity and innovation, ushering in an era of $40,000 per capita GDP.”
President Park also addressed national security matters, promising to open an era of unification for the two Koreas.
“I will work to put an end to the 70-year-long division by building up trust with North Korea and urging change. The government will establish substantial and specific groundwork to achieve unification.”
She also promised to root-out irregularities in society to make Korea a safer place to live.
President Park said due to the spirit of the Korean people, she was confidant that Korea would be able to overcome any difficulty or challenge in the new year. [Arirang News]
When was the last time you heard prominent American politicians set quantifiable economic goals like this? And even if they did how many Americans even know what per capita GDP is?
I wonder what she can do for the Salt Farm Slaves:
http://news.yahoo.com/living-hell-slaves-remote-south-korean-islands-000536459.html
A rather grim read, although I sort of remember reading once here at ROK Drop.
SINUI ISLAND, South Korea (AP) — He ran the first chance he got.
The summer sun beat down on the shallow, sea-fed fields where Kim Seong-baek was forced to work without pay, day after 18-hour day mining the big salt crystals that blossomed in the mud around him. Half-blind and in rags, Kim grabbed another slave, and the two men — both disabled — headed for the coast.
Far from Seoul, the glittering steel-and-glass capital of one of Asia’s richest countries, they were now hunted men on this tiny, remote island where the enslavement of disabled salt farm workers is an open secret.
You can read more at the link.
This seems more like something you would read about North Korea than South Korea. Hopefully, this stays in the spot light more than a week or two. Long enough to actually do something about it.
Clearly, the local cops and authorities are not going to do anything about it, ever.
“creativity and innovation”
Blind deference to authority and the status quo are kind of impediments to that.
/Be the nail that sticks out and doesn’t get hammered down.
JoeC: It’s better to be the hammer than the nail.
Sure, just don’t include female salaries and the unemployed in their 20’s and the retired in their 50’s and above.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw2b1igHUGs
“how many Americans even know what per capita GDP is”
That’s a stupid statement. All Americans who took high school economics fully understand what per capita GDP is.
Even Tbone, a marginally-educated substance abuser living on the fringe of society can discuss it
intelligently.
Let’s look.
“Sure, just don’t include female salaries and the unemployed in their 20’s and the retired in their 50’s and above.”
Oh. Wait.
That would no longer be “per capita”, would it?
And measuring income would not be the same as measuring GDP either, right?
Never mind.
My apologies, GI Korea. Disregard everything I wrote about Americans knowing all about the meaning of per capita GDP. Looks like you were right.
Too right.
“…too right.”
…and some of them selfishly vote and leave the rest of us to deal with the consequences.
“how many Americans even know what per capita GDP is”
Where did you get that quote you moron? Are you quoting yourself as you write? I think you made it up so I must ask how many Americans know that a question mark is to be placed at the end of a question? EGGHEAD!!!
Everyone has never counted in S. Korea so the idea of S. Korean(statisticians) ever being correct is a misnomer, even if they knew how to correctly figure GDP they just couldn’t and/or wouldn’t do it.
“so the idea of S. Korean(statisticians) ever being correct is a misnomer”
Tbone, Tbone, Tbone… former English “teacher”.
A South Korean (statisticians) ever being called a Chink is a misnomer.
Perhaps you need to consult a dictionary for the definition of misnomer.
Hint: “from Anglo-Norman French, from the Old French verb mesnommer, from mes- ‘wrongly’ + nommer ‘to name’ (based on Latin nomen ‘name’).”