[Insight & Opinion] Galactic Empire? The Democratic Party's Presidential Dilemma

A Series of Impeachments Evokes "Star Wars"
Courts and Prosecution Under Pressure from the Democratic Party
Legitimacy of Democratic Party's Governance Undermined

The country that the Democratic Party of Korea aspires to seems to be increasingly resembling the "Galactic Empire" from the "Star Wars" series. The Democratic Party must recognize that this issue is a difficult problem that undermines the legitimacy of its governance.

In "Star Wars," Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine of the Galactic Republic reminds one of Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, while Finis Valorum, the head of administration, evokes President Yoon Seok-yeol. Palpatine leads the impeachment of Valorum and then wins the subsequent election to seize control of the administration. This is similar to the scenario where Lee Jae-myung attempts to impeach Yoon Seok-yeol and win the presidential election to come to power.

Palpatine nullifies the separation of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. "I am the Senate," he declares, announcing legislative dictatorship. This overlaps with the situation where the Democratic Party almost controls the National Assembly and there are even remarks like "Lee Jae-myung is the father of the Democratic Party." There is little opposition to the notion that the Democratic Party is a "one-person-centered party."

Like Palpatine, when a legislative dictator also seizes executive power, he structurally becomes a strong dictator. The checks that prevent the legislative power of Lee Jae-myung and the Democratic Party from becoming excessive are the National Assembly Advancement Act and the president's veto power. The National Assembly Advancement Act has been nullified due to the overwhelming victory of progressive opposition parties including the Democratic Party in the general election. If the Democratic Party wins the next presidential election, even the check by the president's veto power will disappear.

In this situation, the judiciary inevitably becomes the only bulwark against structural dictatorship. This is where the seriousness of the problem lies.

In the movie, Palpatine, who holds legislative and executive powers, orders his close aides to suppress political opponents. When one aide asks, "Is that legal?" Palpatine replies, "I will make it legal." He completes his dictatorship by controlling even the judiciary. Palpatine says, "I love democracy. I love the Republic." Then he adds, "I will reorganize the Republic." Thus, under the rhetoric of "democracy" and "reform," the "Galactic Republic" transforms into the "Galactic Empire."

In reality, the Democratic Party continuously pressures the two pillars of the judiciary: the courts and the prosecution. This is related to Lee Jae-myung facing four trials on seven cases and eleven charges. The party is considering a "law distortion crime" to punish judges and prosecutors who distort the law. A Democratic Party lawmaker proposed a "false accusation crime against investigative agencies" to punish investigative bodies that forced false testimony. Furthermore, the Democratic Party is discussing the "abolition of the prosecution office and establishment of a public prosecution office." They also proposed impeachment motions against four prosecutors, saying, "We will reveal the crimes of political prosecutors who harassed Leader Lee Jae-myung, his family, and comrades." Lee Hwa-young, former Deputy Governor of Gyeonggi Province from the Democratic Party, received a heavy sentence on charges of illegal remittance to North Korea. In response, the Democratic Party attacked the judiciary, saying, "Such prosecutors and such judges," and "Judges should also be elected." They also proposed a special investigation law on illegal remittance to North Korea.

If the Democratic Party comes to power, these bills that tighten control over the judiciary can be legislated at any time. Then, judges and prosecutors will tremble in fear at a single word from the Democratic Party like "such prosecutors, such judges." The harsh attacks on the judiciary by the Democratic Party raise doubts about whether this party has the qualities to restrain its own power after coming to power and to maintain and operate the separation of powers. The Democratic Party's "prosecution reform" reminds one of Palpatine's "reorganization of the Republic."

As confirmed in the Nazi regime in Germany and presidential dictatorships in South America, it takes only a few months after an election for a democratic republic to deteriorate. The current state of the Democratic Party, which holds legislative power and shakes judicial power, can raise public concerns that "if the Democratic Party wins the presidential election, the power of the Democratic Party regime will become excessively large beyond the separation of powers." This concern could block the Democratic Party's victory in the presidential election. The Democratic Party needs to be aware of this paradox.

Heo Man-seop, Professor at Kangnung Wonju National University

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