[News Terms] Korean Politics Caught in 'Bitocracy'

On the 10th, Representative Cho Eung-cheon declared his departure from the Democratic Party of Korea, sharply stating, "We must put an end to the entrenched interests of the two major parties that ignore people's livelihoods and the politics filled with 'vetocracy'." Representative Cho has consistently pointed out the confrontational politics of the two major parties and fandom politics that induce vetocracy as major issues that Korean politics must overcome.

Speaker of the National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo is striking the gavel at the 4th plenary session of the 405th National Assembly (extraordinary session) held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on April 13 last year. The amendment to the Grain Management Act, which was returned to the National Assembly after President Yoon Seok-yeol exercised his veto power, was ultimately rejected with 290 members present, 177 in favor, 112 against, and 1 abstention. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Vetocracy refers to an extreme factional politics that completely rejects the policies and claims of opposing parties. The term is derived by replacing "demo," meaning the people, in the word "democracy" with "veto," meaning rejection, thus also called "rejection democracy." It signifies a political form that uses all means and methods to obstruct legislation and policies promoted by the opposing party.

The term was first used by Francis Fukuyama, a professor at Stanford University in the United States, famous for The End of History, in a 2013 op-ed titled "Vetocracy is Dominating American Politics," criticizing the two-party politics in the U.S. Professor Fukuyama pointed out that the minimal political consensus that had transcended party lines in American politics had disappeared, and "unconditional opposition" was dominating U.S. politics. At that time, political confrontation over Obamacare was intense in the U.S. Although the law was eventually passed after many twists and turns, the succeeding Trump administration sought to undermine Obamacare, causing significant political aftereffects.

In domestic politics, criticism of vetocracy arises when there is a 'foot-dragging' behavior that unconditionally opposes bills proposed by the opposing party. President Yoon Suk-yeol exercised veto power immediately after his inauguration against the Grain Management Act, the Nursing Act bill, the Yellow Envelope Act, the Broadcasting Three Acts, and the Double Special Investigation Act. Although the massive opposition party with 169 seats showed a determination to pass the bills without compromise in the National Assembly, the ruling party also strongly opposed without yielding an inch, leading to criticism that vetocracy had reached its peak. The current administration is promoting corporate tax cuts and other measures to create a business-friendly environment and revitalize the economy, but the opposition strongly opposes these as 'tax cuts for the rich,' which is a similar case.

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