Gwangju International Center

On May 30th, Swedish Ambassador to Korea, Lars Danielsson, came to GIC and gave his talk entitled “Human Rights and Welfare Society.” Before this GIC Talk, we did not think much about this topic. Of course human rights and welfare are so important to our lives, but we both thought that they are government problems and not our problems. 

 

First of all, Ambassador Danielsson said that the most important thing in the Welfare Society is trust. If citizens do not trust the government, then the background of welfare cannot be made. The Ambassador emphasized this question: “How we trust?” He said that transparency is key and that government transparency is high in Sweden. 

 

Another important element in a Welfare Society is a simple and effective tax system. When citizens understand the tax law, then the tax collection rates will be high. Surprisingly, the Ambassador mentioned that the majority of Swedish people do not resent paying taxes as everyone receives a benefit from the welfare society. 

 

With regard to continuing growth in Korea, the Ambassador made several insightful suggestions. First, Korea could more effectively utilize the intellectual capacity of its women. Second, if the responsibility of taking care elders and children were moved from the individual to the welfare system, it would help Korea grow stronger. Third, cities and regions could be more balanced with each other by granting more autonomy to their local governments.

 

In the Q&A Section of GIC Talk, the Ambassador said it was important for each country to develop its own culture. Regarding immigrants he said they were very necessary so that there are more workers. With his final comments, the Ambassador advised Korea to not copy Sweden’s system. Every country has their own history and environment so they have to find their own options for solving problems.