The Worst Polarized Politics Revealed by the Lee Jae-myung Attack Incident... 'What Needs to Change'

Need for Institutional Reforms Including Electoral System Reform to Overcome Two-Party Politics
Political Language Must Change Amid Confrontational Politics
Strict Punishment Needed for Political Terrorism and Related Acts

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has triggered a "wake-up call" in the political sphere following the assault incident. This is because the crisis of extremely polarized politics is now leading to an existential crisis. There have been calls for political change to break away from confrontational politics. Proposals have followed, ranging from electoral system reforms to dismantle the two-party system, strict punishment for political terrorism, to self-purification efforts within the political community.

Yoo In-tae, former Secretary General of the National Assembly, said in a CBS Radio interview on the 4th regarding the assault on former leader Lee, "It is something that should never have happened," but also added, "I thought this might be the karmic result of our politics demonizing opponents and only fostering hatred." Yoo mentioned the need for electoral system reform to induce the emergence of a multiparty system as a fundamental solution. He said, "We need to change the system called the two-party system," and "We must have coalition politics in some form."

Hong Ik-pyo, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is presiding over the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 3rd. The seat of Lee Jae-myung, the party leader who is undergoing treatment after being attacked, is empty. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Until now, both the political world and political science academia have pointed out that to overcome the limitations of the two-party system, where one can only come to power by opposing and denying the other side, a shift to a multiparty system requiring coalition governments is necessary. In a multiparty system, politics can focus on finding common ground for coalition politics rather than pursuing extreme poles. As a method for this, the political sphere has proposed solutions such as adopting a medium-sized electoral district system or electing proportional representatives through a mixed-member proportional representation system. In this regard, Yoo expressed regret over the lack of progress since President Yoon Suk-yeol mentioned the need for medium-sized electoral district reform early last year. He also expressed expectations for the activation of discussions on a third political zone. He said, "The idea that the hostile symbiotic relationship of the two parties is unacceptable has spread widely," and predicted, "Although the third zone had different camps and differing views, there is now a consensus that the current two-party system is not acceptable, so the possibility of a 'big tent' (cross-party coalition) being formed is high."

There are also calls for the language used in politics to change. Yoon Yeo-jun, former Minister of Environment, said in a CBS Radio interview the day before, "The political world must reflect and introspect," and "We need to restore the dignity of language." Yoon pointed out, "If you look at the morning remarks of party leaders, it seems like a competition over who can use more provocative language," and "As this intensifies, they unconsciously have a significant impact on the public by seeking more provocative words than the day before." He emphasized, "Political leaders should not do that (spewing strong remarks toward their fervent supporters)," and "Politics is not like that, and it should be said that it must not be done."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

There were also calls for strict punishment to be applied to political terrorism. Choi Hyung-doo, a member of the People Power Party, said in a KBS Radio interview, "Terrorism and assassination are unacceptable not only in democracy but in any country and rule-of-law state," and emphasized, "Strict punishment for these is the minimum principle to protect democracy." Choi said, "There can be no left or right here," and "If someone tries to eliminate opponents through terrorism or violence and suppress voices they dislike by force, democracy cannot take root from that point on." He added, "The era of terrorism and violence can never coexist with democratic rule of law."

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