[Interview] Choi Moon-soon: "Let's Create a 'Pyeongdeungwon' with a US-Style Bicameral Constitutional Amendment"

"Park Chung-hee Era Constitution, The Framework Must Be Completely Changed"
"If You Employ One Person, Monthly Salary Support of 1 Million Won... Jobs Are the Best Welfare"

Choi Moon-soon, Governor of Gangwon Province. / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Park Cheol-eung and Park Joon-yi] Choi Moon-soon, the Democratic Party presidential candidate and Governor of Gangwon Province, proposed a constitutional amendment to introduce the American-style bicameral legislature and create a 'Pyeongdeungwon' (Equality Chamber). He argued that the nationalist paradigm from the era of former President Park Chung-hee should now shift to a rights-centered approach focused on the individual, suggesting "we should completely change the framework of the constitution."

In a recent interview with Asia Economy, Governor Choi said, "We need a bicameral system for equality and decentralization," adding, "Like the U.S. system, we should elect two representatives from each of the 17 provinces and metropolitan cities, totaling 34 members, who will be responsible for creating laws and systems and budgeting in a way that promotes equality across regions, classes, and various sectors. We can call this chamber the Pyeongdeungwon." This means electing a kind of upper house in addition to the current district and proportional representation members.

While other presidential candidates have proposed constitutional amendments such as switching from a single-term presidency to a renewable or multiple-term system, strengthening fundamental rights, or introducing the public concept of land ownership, Governor Choi emphasized a fundamental paradigm shift. He said, "Decentralization, which delegates budget and power to each region, is more important than the issue of presidential term limits. We need to change the fact that the president currently holds too much power." Regarding timing, he stated, "The next president should lead the constitutional amendment."

He pointed out that the constitution is excessively 'state'-centered. Governor Choi said, "The current constitution is based on what former President Park Chung-hee created, focusing on efficiency, growth, and rapid decision-making," adding, "We need to change it from a state-centered to a human-centered approach, revising Article 1, Clause 1 from 'The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic' to something like 'Human dignity must be guaranteed.'"

He also noted that after Hitler, Germany changed Article 1, Clause 1 of its constitution to state that 'Human dignity is inviolable,' which laid the foundation for a welfare state. He emphasized, "Each individual is at the center of dignity, and the German federation exists for the individual," adding, "We must completely change the framework of our constitution as well."

Governor Choi’s focus can be summarized as 'reducing the wealth gap' and 'increasing jobs.' As a former journalist, he views terms like unfairness, inequality, and polarization as somewhat abstract and prefers the more direct term 'wealth gap.'

He said, "With the establishment of the neoliberal order, distribution has not been well managed for a long time, and winner-takes-all, infinite competition, shareholder capitalism, outsourcing, and the expansion of irregular employment have become structural," adding, "The key to reducing the wealth gap is the 'Employment Social Responsibility System.'"

The Employment Social Responsibility System is already being implemented in Gangwon Province, where companies receive a support of 1 million KRW per month for each employee they hire. Governor Choi said, "Presidential candidates talk about basic income or guaranteed income, but these cannot be means to reduce the wealth gap," adding, "The government must focus on how to 'create' jobs. Responsibility should not be placed solely on companies; if companies and the state work together, it can be easily resolved." He continued, "Since hiring is the top priority, large corporations will receive the same support. As jobs increase, unemployment benefits will decrease, so the budget burden will not be significant."

The basic principle is to provide direct support to the individuals concerned. The plan to provide a monthly childcare allowance of 400,000 KRW also comes from this context. Governor Choi said, "We spent 47 trillion KRW on low birthrate-related budgets last year, but it had no effect," emphasizing, "Priority should be given to the individuals concerned, directly giving to parents who have children."

Regarding prosecution reform, he advocated for direct elections. Governor Choi said, "What I feel on the ground is that chief prosecutors and court chiefs should be elected by the people," adding, "They should be held accountable for abuse of power. This can be done alongside local elections."

He criticized conservative opposition candidates sharply. Regarding former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, he said, "He created a false demon and made it a symbol of unfairness, acting as if he were a false apostle of justice," adding, "The anger over unfairness is merely projected onto a false narrative and will not last long."

Regarding Audit Chief Choi Jae-hyung and former Deputy Prime Minister Kim Dong-yeon, he said, "They are greenhouse flowers who have never experienced real hardships," adding, "After reports that former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had trouble buying subway tickets, he simply disappeared. This time, everything will be sorted out through the media."

Choi Moon-soon, Governor of Gangwon Province. / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.