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[8th EAI Academy] ① The Light and Shadow of Korean Democratization: How Did We Get Here?
Editor's Note
Kang Won-taek, Director of the EAI Center for Democracy and Governance and Professor at Seoul National University, diagnoses that the current political system, which has operated based on the 1987 Constitution, has reached its limits. To resolve this, he proposes adjusting presidential powers through constitutional amendment and strengthening parliamentary-centered politics.
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoM8OPw7XZY
Video Script
Limitations of the 1987 Constitutional System and the Need for Constitutional Amendment
I believe the current system has reached its limits and constitutional amendment is necessary. The 1987 constitutional framework has ended. After experiencing the Yoon Suk-yeol situation, this system can no longer function. If someone else becomes president and the same situation repeats in a few years, a scenario not much different from the present will continue. Ultimately, presidential power must be dispersed. By dispersing presidential power, the president should step back from day-to-day issues related to policy. Only then can they become an authoritative leader who guides the entire nation in a neutral manner. When this situation is resolved, one might feel at ease, but it could also become the starting point for another form of conflict, confrontation, and division. That is the most difficult part. To overcome this, change is needed.
Kang Won-taek, Director of EAI's Center for Democracy.
Contact and Editing: Song Chae-rin, EAI Research Fellow
Inquiries: 02 2277 1683 (ext. 211) | crsong@eai.or.kr
*This text is an AI translation of an original written in Korean. Some translations or nuances may be inaccurate.