A New Group, Protecting Traditional Values, Is Rising

The so-called New Right group, which supports the values of liberalism and the market economy, has started to move.

This group, which has shown differentiation from the existing nationalistic conservative groups, has criticized Roh Moo-hyun’s government for its hurried execution of chief policies without sufficient consideration of the people’s opinions, and recently has shown movements to gain influence.

As a critical liberalism group that has not actively expressed opinions on chief national issues in the past, it has started to act definitely and it is anticipated that this development will dampen the current government’s reform drive. Also, this will contribute to restoring the ideological balance that has been inclining to the progressive side after the launch of the current government.

The movement of the New Right group has taken concrete shape in such sectors as civil organizations, the academic world, and the economic world.

On November 7, Seo Gyoung-seok, head minister of the Seoul Ethnic Korean Church, transmitted by phone that “we are planning a moderate civil organization with a provisional name of ‘Thoughts of the Nation.’ After considering the opinions of the chief persons who will participate in the organization, we are planning to launch the organization at the beginning of next year.”

Last month, over 50 leading academics in the foreign affairs and national security field, who are critical of the current government’s foreign policy, have formed “21st Century Earthnet” (president Ha Young-seon; professor of international relations at Seoul National University). Young academics of the 386 generation, once student activists and also supporters of a pragmatic line, such as adjunct professor Shin Ji-ho at Sogang University, criticized that “the current ‘ruling 386 generation’ has not forsaken their pro-north way of thinking,” and that at the end of this month they will launch a "Liberalism Alliance."

In the economic world, professors of the Korean Economic Association have already openly criticized the current government’s economic policies as ‘left-winged policies’, by saying “the current government’s economic policies are centered on division rather than growth.”

Also, attorneys of moderate disposition in their 30s and 40s are driving forward headed by Lee Soek-yeon, who led the decision of the Constitutional Court that the transfer of the capital is unconstitutional, to establish an individual organization of attorneys to oppose the progressive group “Lawyers for Democratic Society.”

Kim Hyeong-jun, a professor of Politics and Leadership at Kookmin University Graduate School, said, “Feeling the impending crisis with the current government’s insecure management of affairs, pan-conservatives and moderate forces who also want to be away from the existing conservatives, are cooperating,” and that “these movements will soon diffuse to the political world.”

Yeon-Wook Jung jyw11@donga.com