Curious About the President’s Book

A life without rest is barren for anyone. That is why the news that President Yoon Suk Yeol will be taking a vacation is welcome. When one is immersed in work at the very center of politics, it becomes difficult to sustain a leader’s capabilities. I hope this first vacation of his presidency will provide ample rest and unhurried time to refine once again his vision for governing the nation.

The list of books the president reads during his vacation has become a topic of interest every year. People are very curious about what the president is reading. That is because they want to know what he is thinking and what direction he aims to pursue.

As a politician representing an entire country, the president cannot help but engage in political activity even during a period of rest. When the president says, “I am reading this kind of book,” he is, in effect, conveying the message, “This is the kind of future I aspire to.” Given the essential nature of politics, this is unavoidable.

President Yoon Suk Yeol is a president who places great importance on liberal democracy and the market economy, to the extent that he mentioned the word “freedom” 35 times in his inaugural address. In that sense, freedom is his political philosophy and vision. To reflect this well in state affairs, it is important to share and put into practice books that embody his political philosophy.

Milton Friedman’s Free to Choose drew great attention when President Yoon named it as “the book of his life.” It suggests the depth of his philosophical commitment to liberalism.

This book played a decisive role in restoring liberal policies when capitalism faced a crisis in the early 20th century, after the Great Depression, as socialist policies spread around the world. At the time, U.S. President Ronald Reagan actively put into practice policies grounded in that liberal philosophy, demonstrating “leadership for an era of transformation” that set both the United States and the global economy on the path to prosperity.

Our society now faces various problems after passing through industrialization and then democratization. Populism and group selfishness have gained strength, and forces seeking to obtain and enjoy vested interests and privileges have succeeded in becoming organized political powers. Protecting the people from them is precisely the vision politicians of this era should aspire to.

When one moment in history passes, a new world is bound to open. Freedom can advance, but it can also retreat. At each such moment, someone makes a decision and acts. That direction and those principles change the future.

Fortunately, the modern history of the Republic of Korea is a successful history of the maturation of capitalism. The book Moments of Freedom, which contains moments of freedom in history as evaluated by 40 experts devoted to the development of freedom and free enterprise, clearly shows how things differed before and after those moments, and how lives changed. Looking back at those moments in history to see what drove those changes offers wisdom.

The “innovation” that opens a new era occurs when anger toward the old and resistance to what has been suppressed are sublimated into energy. At such moments of transformation, a leader who presents the right principles and vision is essential. I hope this vacation will be a time for President Yoon Suk Yeol to recharge the wisdom needed to lead our society down the path of innovation.

Sung-no Choi, President of the Center for Free Enterprise (CFE)

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Original title: 대통령의 책이 궁금하다

Author: Sung-no Choi

Date: 2022-08-04

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=press&idx=24883