PNG leaders should learn from Korea

By PETER KORUGL In the heart of Seoul City, the Gyeongbokgung Palace lies peacefully, oblivious to the throbbing surroundings that are everyday life in this Korean capital of 10 million people. Built in the year 1395, three years after the Joseon dynasty was founded, the palace has become one of the major tourist attractions today but for more than 500 years, the palace was the main home of the King of Korea. During that period, the Palace was the seat of Government for this Asian nation. It was in here that the king conducted all affairs of state including meetings and receptions with foreign envoys. “The King, Queen and the Crown Prince and Princess all had their sleeping quarters here,” explained Jinju Jeon, a guide at the Palace explained to me, as she took me on a tour of the Palace on September 2. Ms Jeon explained that Korea had 27 Kings – the last to live at Geoncheonggung was King Gojong, who lived there for 10 years before he fled to Russia to escape the Japanese invaders in 1896. Like King Gojong, the Korean Kings throughout history were all powerful men. They were the law unto themselves, so to speak. “They could order the execution of anyone, if they wanted. They were so powerful,” Ms Jeon said. A tour of the palace is like taking a peak into the lives of the most powerful and wealthy in Korea in those days. I learnt that the kings were men of very high moral excellence, upright and good. The Korean people view their kings as if they were angelic beings of the seventh order of the celestial hierarchy; they poured so much respect and trust on them. A visit to the Gangnyeingjeon, the living quarters of the King, was like a glimpse into the everyday life of the royal household. It was here where the King resided and to my surprise, the Korean monarch lived a very simple life. A mat on the floor served as the royal bed in a small room that was bare and had no elaborate decorations, like I had imagined. “The king slept in the east or west, depending of the situation in the country. If there was a poor harvest, the king blamed himself, if there was a natural disaster, the king blamed himself and he punished himself,” Ms Jeon explained. I learnt that the kings, though powerful men, lived very simple lives. The welfare of their country and their people were the centre of the lives, they lived to serve their people and their kingdom. And their people returned this favour by giving them their utmost respect and trust. As I was learning this from my guide, I reflected on the politics and leadership in general in Papua New Guinea. The greed, the arrogance, the corruption and the grand standing that is synonymous with the leadership in this country. There are, of course, one or two good men in Parliament but the few, I thought, were outnumbered. I was imaging what this country would be like if all leaders, be they in Parliament or in the tribes, live their lives like the kings of Korea. This country, blessed with some much natural resources that is generating so much wealth every day can progress rapidly and its citizens enjoying good lives in whatever they do and where ever they live. Sadly this is not going to happen soon or anytime in the foreseeable future. It is just a good dream.		Peter in front of the main palace of the king listening to the guide explaining the history of the palace. At the background is the skyscrapers of Seoul city. The main court of the palace.