[2022 Conditions for Presidential Success] Short Interview with the Author: ⑤ “Establish a Bridgehead for Stable State Administration (Lee Hyun-chul)”

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dne65XOUhog

The East Asia Institute, in anticipation of the 20th presidential election scheduled for March 9, 2022, has launched the project <2022 Conditions for Presidential Success>, targeting presidential candidates, their campaign teams, politicians, the media, and influencers. Following a working paper stage, a book has been published. The nine researchers summarize the conditions for success in the roles of head of the executive branch, politics of harmony and coexistence, and balanced national development and communication as 'decentralization, integration, and coexistence.' We are releasing short interviews with the authors, along with the web publication of the working paper series, which aims to present the conditions for the next president's success by analyzing the failures of past presidents.

Chapter 5, “Establish a Bridgehead for Stable State Administration” – Lee Hyun-chul (Konkuk University)

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■ Author: Lee Hyun-chul_ Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Konkuk University. He also serves as Director of External Affairs and Director of the Institute for Civic Politics at the university. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Konkuk University. He has served as President of the Korean Association of Party Studies and Vice President of the Korean Political Science Association. He has also served as a member of the National Assembly Innovation Advisory Committee and the Special Committee for Constitutional Revision Advisory Committee. His main research areas include parliament, political parties, elections, and Korean politics. His major works include 『Asian Community Theory』 (2021, co-authored), 『Korean Political Process in the Era of Globalization』 (2016), 『The 21st General Election and the Evolution of Korean Democracy』 (2021, co-authored), “Population Aging and Korean Society,” (2021), “Older Voters’ Policy Preferences in the Korean General Elections,” (2021), “Changes in and Continuity of Regionalism in South Korea,” (2020), “Silver Generation’s Counter-movement in the Information Age,” (2018).

Video Transcript

Under the noble given circumstances of political leadership 10, I believe that the ability to coordinate diverse interests through compromise and lead the nation toward integration is the essence of leadership 11. To realize the president's grand vision, various leadership styles exist, but the ability to concretize the president's envisioned future into legislation and policy is crucial. The starting point for this is the relationship between the ruling party and the government. In a presidential system, while the government proposes the president's policies, it is the role of the legislature or the political party to enact them into law, secure budgets, and implement them.

Therefore, a close cooperation between the ruling party and the government is essential, and I believe this is the key to a successful presidency. Candidates without political experience, in particular, must pay close attention to this aspect and prepare thoroughly to achieve numerous accomplishments during their term. What we should particularly note is that three types of conflict points arise in the party-government relationship. The first is what I would call political conflict.

There are political conflicts, and secondly, policy conflicts can arise. Thirdly, conflicts surrounding personnel appointments can be summarized. To lead the party-government relationship smoothly as president, the question of what attitude and how the president-elect should manage this relationship is our task. First, I believe the essence of the party-government relationship, whether between the president and the party or the government and the party, lies in how to achieve a balance between autonomy and interdependence.

If autonomy is overly emphasized, the party may become fragmented and disorganized. Therefore, to ensure the policy consistency of the government and the national representativeness of the party, while autonomy is important, interdependence must also be strongly emphasized. Only when both types are balanced can a successful presidency be achieved. Second, I want to emphasize the need for more active personnel exchanges and consultations at the working level between the party and the government.

First, through personnel exchanges within the party-government political process, both sides can confirm a sense of unity and achieve smooth communication. Especially now, it is very difficult to pass confirmation hearings. Therefore, when individuals with extensive expertise and leadership capabilities, who have served at least two or three terms, enter government, they can adequately convey the party's intentions to the government. They can also effectively translate the government's proposed policies into legislation and policy within the party and the National Assembly. In this regard, fostering a sense of unity between the party and the government through personnel exchanges is very important. Furthermore, in policy development, it is necessary to strengthen the cooperation system at the working level so that the party and the government can mutually cooperate from the first to the second stage, rather than remaining at a formal level of consultation.

Third, I want to emphasize the need to clarify the system for linking campaign pledges to the party's policy-making process from the initial stage. In fact, during the presidential election campaign, candidates make numerous pledges to the public through various channels. However, the subsequent process, at least within the political parties, is often not well-prepared. Therefore, to become a successful president, the process of connecting the reasons for election to the post-election period is extremely important, and this cannot be overstated.

From this perspective, it is necessary to examine in advance how the candidate's campaign pledges will be implemented during this process. Therefore, specific plans and strategies must be developed regarding how the candidate's pledges, especially core ideological ones, can be concretized through specific laws and how legislative bills will be prepared. Voters choose based on the president's vision and ideals. However, the success of the president after the election ultimately depends on how effectively the president's vision is realized through the party-government relationship, and this is not an exaggeration.

Therefore, for the party's role as a bridge connecting the public and the Blue House, providing legislative and policy support, to be smoothly recognized by the public, the party-government relationship must be managed effectively, which is crucial for the president's success.