Cho Yoon-je
The author is a special appointment professor at the Graduate School of Economics at Yonsei University.
There is a saying that for every complex question, there is almost always a simple, neat and plausible answer that is wrong. The idea of Korea’s “imperial presidency” often strikes me as one such answer.
Whenever constitutional reform is discussed, the same diagnosis appears: The concentration of presidential power is blamed for the failures of Korean politics, and power-sharing is presented as the solution. The history of Korea’s presidents is indeed extraordinary. In one of the most successful postwar development stories in the world, it is difficult to find a president of the country who has not faced exile, assassination, imprisonment, impeachment, suicide or criminal investigation.
The Blue House, the center of political power in Korea, is seen in this photo taken on May 6. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
