[The Editors' Verdict] Will President Yoon Suk-yeol Choose Exorcism Politics?

Professor Kang Jun-man, emeritus professor of journalism and mass communication at Jeonbuk National University, criticized in his new book Exorcism Politics that "Moon Jae-in's purge of deep-rooted evils was close to an exorcism ritual that demonized the targets of the purge," adding, "It seemed to succeed, but when Yoon Seok-yeol, the chief exorcist during the 'Cho Kuk incident,' called for 'fairness in exorcism,' the entire country plunged into a state of political civil war." He further pointed out, "Senior officials of the Moon Jae-in administration attacked Yoon Seok-yeol by leading with 'devil talk,' calling him a 'Faust who sold his soul to the devil' or someone who 'throws democracy to the devil.' On the other hand, Cho Kuk was revered as a figure who 'fought bravely against the greatest evil organization created by humans and returned to us alive, battered and bruised.'

The Democratic Party of Korea, through this, ironically contributed to Yoon Seok-yeol's presidential election victory but could not accept it and regarded it as a 'victory of the devil.' According to Professor Kang's interpretation, after the launch of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, officials from the Moon Jae-in administration were gripped by the fear that they could become the new sacrificial victims of exorcism and risked everything on 'exorcism politics,' even mentioning 'impeachment of Yoon Seok-yeol.' He also delivered sharp criticism toward the double standards of Democratic Party figures, including former Justice Ministers Cho Kuk and Choo Mi-ae, and their supporters who idolized them as angels or heroes.

President Yoon did not speak about politics in his New Year's address on the 1st. He did not request cooperation from the opposition party either. Regarding the severe economic situation, he emphasized export expansion, debt management, and investment in future strategic technologies, stating, "This year, the global economy faces a greater possibility of recession than ever before." He also focused on expressing his determination to urgently reform labor, education, and pensions. President Yoon's will for reform appears stronger than ever. Especially in the parts where he insists on labor reform based on labor and management rule of law and the necessity to resolve national issues such as pensions and health insurance, he has faced some criticism for being somewhat one-sided.

Despite President Yoon's determination and the national necessity, the conditions are not favorable. Above all, the current National Assembly situation, where the ruling party is in the minority, is enough to hamper the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. The parliamentary deadlock over the year-end budget negotiations is a representative example. None of the key projects promoted by the government received proper budget allocation. Among the national tasks planned by the Yoon Seok-yeol government, those requiring legal amendments will only be possible if the ruling party secures a majority in next year's general election. Although this year is an election-free year, there are expectations that the pace of reform will not be as fast as anticipated for this reason.

At this point, President Yoon can demonize past administration officials as much as he wants. If the ruling party wins the general election, exorcism politics under the banner of another purge of deep-rooted evils could shake our society again. This is politics where political massacres and revenge are repeated. In such politics, irreversible mistakes are likely to occur. The Moon Jae-in administration's nuclear phase-out policy is exactly that. Demonizing nuclear power generation and branding related professionals as deep-rooted evils did not come without significant consequences.

Even if the ruling and opposition parties attack and criticize each other, they must observe the tacit boundaries they have set. If the counterpart with whom dialogue and negotiation are necessary is demonized, democracy becomes impossible. The national tasks facing us in the new year are issues that neither the ruling nor opposition parties can ignore. For the sake of solving these, the president and both parties are urged to try politics that is truly political again.

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