[4th EAI Academy] ③ Origins and Reform Measures of Korea's Imperial Presidency

Editor's Note

Kang Won-taek, Director of the Center for Democracy Studies at the East Asia Institute (EAI) and Professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Seoul National University, points out that as the '87 system, which established the current constitution, aimed to revert to the pre-Yushin era, institutions and practices from the authoritarian period remained, and as a result, the imperial presidency has persisted to this day. Furthermore, he diagnoses that the current system, where the president manages all sectors of the state, has lost its validity today, and that difficulties will continue in finding individuals capable of handling such concentrated presidential powers in future presidential elections. As an alternative to the current system, he proposes a system where the president is granted political powers such as the veto power over legislation and the power to dissolve parliament, along with the authority to set long-term national goals, while the prime minister, elected by the parliament, is responsible for the actual governance of the state. He also emphasizes that the generational change, which has occurred approximately every 20 years in Korean politics, has not taken place since 2004, and that the youth generation must now drive change to achieve progress in politics and society.