Great Opportunity in the Oceanic Era

The oceans can become a central point for bringing the world
together. To take ownership over the oceans we must be trained
to live on it with the same ease as we live on land. When I train
people to fish, I send ten small boats out with one large boat. When the
boats leave port, the small boats are towed by the large boat. Once they
are out on the open sea, however, the small boats are responsible for
themselves. They must know the direction of the wind, what is on the
ocean floor, and what route the fish are taking. They must learn all this
on their own.
I like to use the phrase Alaska spirit. This refers to getting up at five
o’clock in the morning, going out to sea, and not returning until well
after midnight. The person stays out on the ocean until he catches the
daily allowance. One cannot become a true fisherman unless he learns
how to endure this way.
Catching fish is not a pleasure cruise. No matter how many fish may
be in the ocean, they are not going to just jump into the boat. It takes
specialized knowledge and much experience. A person must know how
to mend a net and how to tie an anchor rope. Once a person receives
intense training to become a fisherman, he can go anywhere in the
world and become a leader of people. Learning to be a fisherman is
good leadership training.
Dominance at sea will require ships, including submarines, that can
go anywhere in the world. Korea is already the largest shipbuilding
country in the world. It has the ability to become a great sea power.
What it needs now is more people willing to go out to sea. We are the
descendants of Chang Bo Go, a wealthy man of the ninth century who
ran an international maritime trading business and was called “Ocean
King.” We have a long tradition of going out to sea on ships, fighting the
waves, and winning battles.
People fear the waves. When waves catch the wind, they become
swells. The formation of waves and swells is needed for oxygen to be
mixed into the ocean. If the ocean is calm for an extended period, without
wind or waves, it begins to die. When we realize the value of waves,
they are no longer something to be feared. Even if a strong wind blows and
the waves become fearsome, we understand that this is the way to help the
fish live. Then the waves become part of the attraction of the sea.
A hundred feet below the surface of the ocean there are no waves. If
we were to take a submarine to the bottom of the ocean it would be so
cool that there would be no need for air conditioners. The fish choose
the depth that has the temperature that is right for them and then perform
wonderful dances as they swim in schools in their favorite waters.
Similar to our Little Angels dance troupe with their fans, the fish have
their colorful outfits and gently wave their fins. It is a beautiful and
peaceful environment that they live in. The world, too, will soon be as
peaceful as this.
The fact that an oceanic era is coming means that Korea will soon
have the opportunity to change the world. People who live in peninsular
countries have had to contend with invasions from both land and sea
throughout history. To survive they had to be brave and develop a steely
national character. It is not by coincidence that civilization developed
in peninsular countries such as Greece and Italy. Civilization could
blossom in these countries because they had the enterprising and
tough, adventurous spirit needed to spread their influence across both
continents and seas.
Have you heard about the Black Stream? In the East it is known as
the Kuroshio. This is a current in the Pacific that travels four thousand
miles a year, based on the gravitational pull of the moon. It is an oceanic
gyre that revolves all the way around the Pacific Ocean. To describe it
simply as “tremendous” is not sufficient. All the oceans of the world
move by the same power that moves the Black Stream. If these currents
did not exist, the oceans would not move and would die. Just as even
the largest and mightiest rivers eventually must flow into the sea, so also
even the largest oceans must move in accordance with currents like the
Black Stream. The Korean people must become like the Black Stream
and cause the flow of their peace-loving culture to influence the whole
world. We must become a source of strength in the world, the place
where all of life’s forces come together in a peaceful concentration.
I have visited Korea’s southern coast many times in an effort to find
the place that could become the center of a Pacific civilization, and I
believe that Yeosu and Sooncheon are suited to the task. The sea off
the coast of Yeosu is tranquil, clear, and mirrorlike. It is where Admiral
Yi Soon Shin dealt the Japanese a heavy defeat in the late 1600s, and it
is also where he died in battle. Yeosu has a great history of sea battles,
and it is also the point where the Youngnam and Honam regions meet.
It is at the end of the foothills of Mount Jiri, where leftists and rightists
fought each other following the Korean War. In this sense, it is a land
imbued with the pain of our people. Sooncheon Bay, famous for its reed
beds, has a beautiful and world-famous ria coast. Out on the sea there,
with its clear waters that shimmer in the sunlight, we can catch many
different types of fish. Abalone and brown seaweed grow in the tranquil
waters of the bay. The large tidal flats are filled with cockles and other
types of shellfish and small octopus. I have been out on the seas in that
area and also climbed the mountains, and it is clear that this is a beautiful
land that has everything necessary for the coming Pacific age.
I am now developing Korea’s southern coast, with the focus on
Yeosu. As a part of the preparations for this, I have been to Geomun
Island and other islands in the area and lived there for several
months. I consider people who live there, farming and fishing for
the past several decades, to be my teachers. I ate and slept in humble
inns as I studied everything in detail. I didn’t just study books. I
went everywhere, using my eyes and feet to check everything.
As a result, I now know what kinds of fish can be found in what
area of the ocean, what kind of net needs to be used to catch them,
what kinds of trees grow in the mountains, and which home on
the island has an old man living alone after having suffered a
stroke.
The day I finished my studies of the southern coast I took the village
mayor, who had been helping me, on an airplane to Alaska. He
had taught me everything he knew, so I wanted to return the favor
by teaching him what I knew about Alaska. I went fishing with him
in Alaska and told him about the different kinds of fish and how
they can be caught. Even if I know only a little about something,
I don’t feel comfortable unless I share it with others.
Very soon after I began developing Yeosu, it was chosen as the venue
for an international maritime exposition to be held in 2012. Together
with the Olympic Games and the World Cup, international expositions
are among the three largest festivals on a global scale. During the six
months that Expo 2012 is held in Yeosu, 154 member countries of the
International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) will operate various exhibits.
This will focus the world’s attention on Yeosu, and the technology and
culture of developed countries will flow into Yeosu. Have you ever
looked up at a summer sky and seen clouds blowing by at an amazing
speed? Once clouds catch the wind, they move quickly over mountains
and oceans. Now is not the time to be hesitating. In a way similar to
those clouds, heavenly fortune will be blowing the world toward Yeosu
and the Korean peninsula.
I plan to connect all the islands along the southern coast with bridges
and build condominiums where boat-loving people from around the
world can come and stay. These will not be condominiums just for play.
Americans, Germans, Japanese, Brazilians, and Africans will come.
They may go out on different boats to catch fish, but I will have them
stay in the same condominiums to show that humanity is one family.
The oceanic era will also be an era of outer space. The time is coming
when aeronautic technology will be an absolute necessity. It will be
too late for Korea to prepare its space industry if it doesn’t start now.
I am preparing an aeronautic industrial park in Gimpo, in Kyounggi
Province. I plan to produce world-famous Sikorsky helicopters. Soon
the day will come when helicopters bearing the Taeguk mark of Korea
will fly the seas and skies all over the world.