Old maxims always turn out to be true. Once again, we are belatedly trying to “repair the barn after the cow is stolen.” Ever since the sexual harassment scandal involving the president’s former spokesman shook the nation, government institutions have been busily holding sexual harassment prevention classes for public servants, and warning high-ranking government officials to avoid similar incidents.

Unfortunately, it is too late, for the cow has already been stolen. And it is costly to repair the barn and buy another cow. 

Nevertheless, it is better late than never. The former spokesman’s scandal serves as a warning for other government officials. From now on, our government officials will likely exercise extreme caution and discretion when they go abroad. They will think twice before attempting indiscrete actions and be constantly on alert. If this is the case, perhaps the misfortune can be counted as a blessing.

Besides strengthening morals and notions of common courtesy, one way to prevent similar incidents from happening again is to bring in experts to brief government officials about the culture and social customs of the country they plan to visit.

When visiting the United States, for example, people should know that physical contact is usually avoided in formal situations, except for shaking hands when greeting and bidding farewell. They should also know that Korean-Americans are U.S. citizens, not Korean nationals, and should treat them according to American social norms.

Another way we could reduce similar incidents is by recruiting government officials who have sworn not to drink while they are in office, save for a glass of wine or two for the sake of socializing with foreign visitors. Indeed, no drunken officials should be permitted to serve or escort the president.

If Cheong Wa Dae staff had stayed sober, the recent national disgrace might have been avoided. Nonetheless, most are likely to dismiss such a policy as implausible since drinking is essentially a national pastime in our country. Indeed, imposing such an extreme measure would provoke strong opposition and would certainly make alcohol lovers furious.

Then we have no choice but to resort to the last and the most innovative measure. That is, we should allow spouses to accompany government officials when they travel overseas. Of course, the spouse must travel on his or her own expenses. The new policy, if adopted, would have some vital advantages. For example, who could better leash a wandering man during an overseas trip than his wife? Men may wrongfully assume they can cheat on their wives as long as they do not find out. But what kind of a man could possibly escape the ever-penetrating eyes of his wife? Women instinctively know when their husbands cheat on them, even if it is just a one-night stand. Another advantage is that spouses can moderate each other’s drinking as well.

Koreans tend to think that it is ethically wrong for spouses to accompany government officials on their business trips, even though the spouse travels on his or her own expenses. But we should reconsider our assumptions. The importance of a spouse’s role in diplomacy, politics and business cannot be stressed enough.

Sometimes, a spouse in his or her unofficial capacity can play a critical role in accomplishing important breakthroughs that his or her other half may not be able to achieve through official channels. It is true that we have gravely underestimated the power of our spouses. If the ex-spokesman’s wife had accompanied him on his trip, he might not have made such a terrible mistake.

In her inauguration speech, President Park Geun-hye stressed the importance of “cultural flourishing” as one of her three mottoes to lead the nation. Perhaps cultural flourishing can begin within our homes, by understanding and acknowledging the importance of our spouse. Happiness at home surely lies in it. I recently attended a conference sponsored by the Arts Council of Korea, entitled, “The Future of the Arts in the Era of Cultural Flourishing.” In his keynote speech, Dr. Yoo Jin-ryong, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism persuasively explained the meaning of “cultural flourishing.”

According to Minister Yoo, “cultural flourishing” can be achieved through cultural understanding, cultural diversity and open-mindedness. More specifically, it can also be achieved through the convergence of science and the humanities, applying creativity and imagination to the economy, and embracing cultural and ideological differences. Through such actions, our psychological wounds can be healed and our age-long conflicts resolved. And we will be able to lead a happy life, embracing and caring for others.

Now is the time to put an end to the notorious drinking culture that leads us down the road of fatal mistakes. We now should change and alter our old consciousness and begin a new era of “cultural flourishing” and reconciliation. The famous Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, who devoted his life to the happiness of his people, said wisely: “The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.”

By Kim Seong-kon

Kim Seong-kon is a professor of English at Seoul National University and president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. He can be reached at sukim@snu.ac.kr. ― Ed.