ID :
203768
Sat, 08/27/2011 - 05:33
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/203768
The shortlink copeid
Distrust of government Proactive public engagement necessary
The Lee Myung-bak administration has acknowledged a lack of communication with the people. However, it does not know how to activate communication. The result is a growing distrust of the government.
A Seoul seminar advised the government to be proactive in policy marketing to promote social integration.
Park Eung-kyuk, president of the Korea Institute of Public Administration, said the causes of the ongoing dispute over large-scale national tasks and the free trade agreements can be attributable to the lack of accurate information.
He also cited the candlelight protests against the resumption of U.S. beef imports in 2008 as reflecting the importance of interaction between the government and the citizens. A lingering public suspicion over the sinking of the Navy frigate Cheonan is also an illustrative example of a government PR disaster.
Another example is the extensive coverage of Kim Jong-il???s visit to Russia this week. The North Korean dictator???s trip enjoyed more extensive domestic media coverage than President Lee Myung-bak???s visit to three former Soviet Union countries, including Uzbekistan.
Ahead of crucial elections next year, populist policies and inflammatory campaigns could deepen social division and conflict.
The government has yet to scrap its one-way communication method. No control tower over public relations strategy exists. The government has been responsive, not proactive, to the emerging events and disasters. The government lacks public relations specialists.
The two government agencies ??? the Korea Overseas Culture and Information Service, and the Presidential Council on Nation Branding ??? are technically in a coma in publicizing Korea. The rationale of their existence is being questioned.
How serious is the public distrust of the government? A survey showed that trust in the government fell to 33 percent in 2007 from 62 percent in 1996. It may not be an exaggeration to say that trust in the government is at an all-time low in Korea. Shocking is the fact that public distrust of the government deepened after Korea democratized.
Governments worldwide face the same problem. Trust in the American government was at 75 percent in 1960 but fell to 39 percent in 2008, mostly due to drastic budget cuts.
The Japanese government became the target of criticism for its initial downplaying of the breakdown of the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plants last March.
The Seoul government seems to be disoriented in this age of old and new media. Amateurish public information officers lack motivation to convey correct information in a transparent way at the right time. The government does not recognize communication as a matter of the highest priority.
The government needs to activate a two-way communication mechanism. It becomes urgent to link dialogue processes to policy formulation. It can utilize a wide variety of media channels to share information. President Lee should strengthen a control tower in order to build government trust and communication.
Effective communication does not mean manipulation, propaganda and spin. Trust in the government would improve through proactive and transparent public engagement.
A Seoul seminar advised the government to be proactive in policy marketing to promote social integration.
Park Eung-kyuk, president of the Korea Institute of Public Administration, said the causes of the ongoing dispute over large-scale national tasks and the free trade agreements can be attributable to the lack of accurate information.
He also cited the candlelight protests against the resumption of U.S. beef imports in 2008 as reflecting the importance of interaction between the government and the citizens. A lingering public suspicion over the sinking of the Navy frigate Cheonan is also an illustrative example of a government PR disaster.
Another example is the extensive coverage of Kim Jong-il???s visit to Russia this week. The North Korean dictator???s trip enjoyed more extensive domestic media coverage than President Lee Myung-bak???s visit to three former Soviet Union countries, including Uzbekistan.
Ahead of crucial elections next year, populist policies and inflammatory campaigns could deepen social division and conflict.
The government has yet to scrap its one-way communication method. No control tower over public relations strategy exists. The government has been responsive, not proactive, to the emerging events and disasters. The government lacks public relations specialists.
The two government agencies ??? the Korea Overseas Culture and Information Service, and the Presidential Council on Nation Branding ??? are technically in a coma in publicizing Korea. The rationale of their existence is being questioned.
How serious is the public distrust of the government? A survey showed that trust in the government fell to 33 percent in 2007 from 62 percent in 1996. It may not be an exaggeration to say that trust in the government is at an all-time low in Korea. Shocking is the fact that public distrust of the government deepened after Korea democratized.
Governments worldwide face the same problem. Trust in the American government was at 75 percent in 1960 but fell to 39 percent in 2008, mostly due to drastic budget cuts.
The Japanese government became the target of criticism for its initial downplaying of the breakdown of the tsunami-hit Fukushima nuclear plants last March.
The Seoul government seems to be disoriented in this age of old and new media. Amateurish public information officers lack motivation to convey correct information in a transparent way at the right time. The government does not recognize communication as a matter of the highest priority.
The government needs to activate a two-way communication mechanism. It becomes urgent to link dialogue processes to policy formulation. It can utilize a wide variety of media channels to share information. President Lee should strengthen a control tower in order to build government trust and communication.
Effective communication does not mean manipulation, propaganda and spin. Trust in the government would improve through proactive and transparent public engagement.
