Chapter 61 South Korea and the United States, a shared future

A year ago, I accepted the invitation to speak at the "Kennedy Forum" issued by the Kennedy School of Harvard University. They have invited US presidents such as Bush and Clinton, as well as heads of state and famous people from all over the world to give speeches. I'm sorry for the one-year delay in agreeing to the good invitation due to my busy schedule.The Harvard Kennedy School is home to talented people who dream of becoming future leaders not only in the United States but around the world, so I have put more effort into preparing this speech than ever. On February 12, 2007, as soon as I walked into the lecture hall of the Kennedy School, I was shocked.At that time, it was winter in Boston, USA, which is known for its severe cold climate. The cold and strong winds were blowing. In addition, the lecture time was at 6 o’clock in the evening, which coincided with the meal time. It was expected that not many students would come to the lecture, but three The multi-storey lecture hall was full of seats, and even the aisle of the lecture hall was filled with more than 500 people.

Dr. Elwood, Dean of the Kennedy School, introduced me as the opening, and the students welcomed me with thunderous applause. I start my speech.The theme of the speech was "South Korea and the United States, a shared future."This is a heavy topic, but since this room is filled with people who dream of becoming leaders of the future, I want to address something a little more serious.In fact, this topic is very tiring, but there is no fatigue on the faces of the students. Instead, they listen intently with bright eyes.At the end of the lecture, I saw many students start to get up and walk to the stairs where there are microphones in the lecture halls on the first, second, and third floors to ask questions.I thought to myself: "How can I answer all the questions from so many people?" After the students started asking questions, I was even more surprised.

"Hyundai Motor's labor union disputes are serious. As far as I know, you are critical of the radical behavior of the labor union. It is now on the eve of the election. How will you deal with the labor union issue?" "Students currently studying at Harvard, the number of Korean students accounts for the third largest number of foreign students in Harvard. Many Korean students around me are also dissatisfied with the admission system of Korean universities. If you are elected president, what countermeasures will you propose? What about the solution?"

"How is your rail ferry plan different from former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak's canal plan?" "Historically, Japan was a country that invaded the Republic of Korea. If you become president, what kind of foreign policy will you adopt toward Japan?" "May I ask if you are confident in achieving the 7% growth target of the Korean economy?" "If you become president, will you launch an epoch-making policy toward North Korea?" Surprisingly, most of the students who asked these questions were American students with American citizenship.For a moment, I even wondered if I was giving a speech at an American university. At the same time, I felt very excited unconsciously, as if I was being interviewed by a foreign reporter.To hear these serious and sharp questions from Harvard students who seem to have no interest in Korea, I was also full of energy unconsciously.The topics that students care about are very diverse. As the questions are raised one after another, I also start to look forward to what sharp questions will be asked next.If I can continue to answer, I also hope to share more thoughts. Due to the next schedule, I have to decline those students who are standing in front of the microphone and waiting to ask questions to leave the lecture hall, which makes me feel extremely sorry.

A long time ago, I saw a program titled "The Nerds of Harvard University" on TV. Maybe because of this program, as long as everyone mentioned Harvard University, I would automatically think of the word nerd.Such a title really lives up to its name in a certain sense.They believe that a speech by a foreign politician is an opportunity to learn about that country, and even a thorough understanding of that country and the speaker's policy propositions, etc... This alone makes me feel that maybe this is the United States power, and such thoughts have been lingering in my mind for a long time.

After the speech, I chatted with a few Korean students. Although it was only for a short time, I reconfirmed through the dialogue with the foreign students that the atmosphere at the speech just now was not a coincidence, but the normal strength of Harvard students. their attitude towards life. Among the outstanding talents of Harvard University, the students of our country do not show weakness at all. They study hard and earnestly. Our future is also growing in the United States.I stood on the campus and took a group photo with the Korean students of Harvard University. The camera was facing the laughing and lively students. They immediately made a V sign for victory. That appearance was indeed youthful ah!