[Insight & Opinion] America Moves Beyond Disliked Politics, While Korea Remains Stuck

It seems that American politics is coming back to life after a long time. During the era of the Joe Biden-Donald Trump rivalry, American politics was a parallel partner to that of South Korea. Both competing camps had problematic leadership, but they coexisted in mutual dislike, enduring a relationship of equal faults. The 2022 presidential election between Yoon Seok-yeol and Lee Jae-myung was described as a "disliked election." This situation has only worsened, and our politics continues in this state. In the U.S., Biden created a turning point by giving up his re-election bid and yielding to Harris. Last week's Democratic Party presidential nomination convention inspired many and raised hopes for new political energy.

Since Trump's rise to power in 2016, the democracy index in the U.S. has sharply declined. Against the backdrop of American political realities, the question "How does democracy collapse?" became a central theme of political analysis, and the concept of "Post-Truth politics" emerged, describing a loss of shared truths. Alongside Trump-style politics, the United Kingdom's process of leaving the European Union (EU) is also cited as a prime example of post-truth politics. According to data compiled by The Washington Post, Trump made an average of 5.9 public falsehoods per day during his presidency. Stephanie Grisham, who served as Trump's press secretary, revealed his politics of lies by stating, "It doesn't matter what you say. If you just keep saying it, people will believe it."

This post-truth politics is fundamentally rooted in the internet and social networking services (SNS) era. In South Korea as well, YouTube and SNS spread false or uncertain information, disrupting political public opinion based on partisan politics. Nowadays, people hiking while listening to current affairs YouTube channels are replacing those who used to listen to "Ppongjjak" radio while hiking. You have probably seen politicians attacking opponents with baseless fake news quite often. Those people tend to attract media attention. Regardless of truthfulness, such tactics are used as weapons in partisan public opinion battles. This is the populism of post-truth politics.

When shared truths weaken, the foundation of democracy collapses. Extreme partisan politics only intensifies political conflicts and diminishes the government's productive functions. Since 2016, the decline in the U.S. democracy evaluation index has been due to "the weakening of representative government functions and a polarized political culture." This is exactly the case in South Korea. The president pushes through appointments disconnected from public sentiment and continues to make anachronistic remarks. A politician facing trial on 11 charges is being supported like a cult leader of the opposition party?an unprecedented reality. The opposition party, which controls the National Assembly, frequently calls for impeachment and pushes administrative and judicial measures beyond its authority. The president counters with vetoes, escalating conflicts without any achievements. It is a deadlock in the representative system.

Ahead of the November election, the Democratic Party in the U.S., aware of the crisis, is seeking a new path and creating a turning point. At the nomination convention, Vice Presidential candidate Walz alongside Harris, former President Obama and his wife, the Clintons, Oprah Winfrey, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) delivered support speeches, calling for "inclusion instead of hatred and exclusion" and "truth and common sense instead of alternative facts," inspiring many.

The disliked politics created by President Yoon Seok-yeol and Lee Jae-myung's Democratic Party in South Korea remains frustrating. The public seems fed up with partisan politics. According to recent survey data from the Korea Press Foundation, 72.1% of respondents said they dislike watching the news, with political news being the main reason. The political situation in South Korea will face a critical moment with the two trials scheduled around October. Regardless of the outcome, innovation in political leadership is key to finding hope in Korean politics.

Kim Man-heum, Former Director of the National Assembly Legislative Research Office

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