The New Year is the right time for reform
Published: 31 Dec. 2024, 20:00
Updated: 31 Dec. 2024, 20:19
We greet the new year with a sense of despair unparalleled in recent memory.
In the aftermath of the December 3 martial law debacle, the nation remains politically paralyzed, compounded by the tragic crash of a Jeju Air plane at Muan International Airport, which has plunged the entire country into mourning.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, who should be leading efforts to stabilize the crisis, has been suspended from his duties and now faces the prospect of arrest following his failed attempt to impose martial law.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is supposed to serve as the acting head of state, has been impeached after evading the appointment of Constitutional Court justices.
The result is that Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, in the role of deputy acting president, is left juggling multiple leadership roles — an absurdity unthinkable even in politically fragile states.
At the root of this chaos lies the structural inadequacy of the 1987 Constitution, the product of South Korea’s democratization movement.
The winner-takes-all nature of South Korea’s imperial presidency has paradoxically brought misfortune to its very occupants. Of the eight presidents elected since 1987, three have been jailed, one took his own life, and one now teeters on the brink of arrest. This excessive concentration of power has often spilled over to presidential families, leading to investigations of spouses and children by prosecutors.
The only way to end this recurring cycle of tragedy is through the decentralization of power. President Yoon ignored the need for bipartisan cooperation and consolidated power, sowing the seeds of today’s crisis. Meanwhile, legislative power has also lost its sense of restraint. The dominant opposition party has resorted to indiscriminate impeachment motions, rendering the government dysfunctional.
Calls for systemic reform have been growing louder. In a joint New Year survey by the JoongAng Ilbo and Embrain, only 33 percent of respondents supported retaining the current single-term, five-year presidency.
The limitations of the 1987 system have been highlighted in every election, yet each victor clings to its imperial powers.
As we enter the Year of the Wood Snake, the need for solutions to break the vicious cycle of political strife has become more urgent than ever.
Overcoming the 1987 framework hinges on decentralizing power. A new system must be designed to prevent the president from undermining the National Assembly and to ensure that even a parliamentary majority cannot unilaterally incapacitate the government.
Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
In the aftermath of the December 3 martial law debacle, the nation remains politically paralyzed, compounded by the tragic crash of a Jeju Air plane at Muan International Airport, which has plunged the entire country into mourning.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, who should be leading efforts to stabilize the crisis, has been suspended from his duties and now faces the prospect of arrest following his failed attempt to impose martial law.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is supposed to serve as the acting head of state, has been impeached after evading the appointment of Constitutional Court justices.
The result is that Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, in the role of deputy acting president, is left juggling multiple leadership roles — an absurdity unthinkable even in politically fragile states.
At the root of this chaos lies the structural inadequacy of the 1987 Constitution, the product of South Korea’s democratization movement.
The winner-takes-all nature of South Korea’s imperial presidency has paradoxically brought misfortune to its very occupants. Of the eight presidents elected since 1987, three have been jailed, one took his own life, and one now teeters on the brink of arrest. This excessive concentration of power has often spilled over to presidential families, leading to investigations of spouses and children by prosecutors.
The only way to end this recurring cycle of tragedy is through the decentralization of power. President Yoon ignored the need for bipartisan cooperation and consolidated power, sowing the seeds of today’s crisis. Meanwhile, legislative power has also lost its sense of restraint. The dominant opposition party has resorted to indiscriminate impeachment motions, rendering the government dysfunctional.
Calls for systemic reform have been growing louder. In a joint New Year survey by the JoongAng Ilbo and Embrain, only 33 percent of respondents supported retaining the current single-term, five-year presidency.
The limitations of the 1987 system have been highlighted in every election, yet each victor clings to its imperial powers.
As we enter the Year of the Wood Snake, the need for solutions to break the vicious cycle of political strife has become more urgent than ever.
Overcoming the 1987 framework hinges on decentralizing power. A new system must be designed to prevent the president from undermining the National Assembly and to ensure that even a parliamentary majority cannot unilaterally incapacitate the government.
Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)