[Inside Chodong] Political Imagination Needed to Overcome 'Peak Korea'

The phrase "Peak Korea," which suggests that the growth of the Korean economy has effectively ended, has been appearing frequently since the beginning of the new year. Among those concerned about the country's future, some point to the "lack of discourse" among Korean political forces as the reason for Peak Korea. The argument is that now that the democratization and industrialization goals proposed by the progressive and conservative camps have been somewhat concluded, no one is properly presenting what direction to head toward next. Because politics fails to provide a path forward, the country has lost its way.

As they worry, our politics actually persuades voters with the simple logic of "support us to block the opponent" rather than presenting and convincing them of "what goals to aim for and where to go." Although the political sphere talks a lot about the future, debates around vision are hard to find. In the last presidential election, neither the ruling nor opposition parties proposed grand narratives but instead focused on tailored pledges like "heart-throbbing promises" and "small but certain happiness" targeting specific generations or groups. The political arena has escalated into a battleground filled with extreme language of attack or a competition of populism, largely because politics fails to present a vision. Living in an era of "gladiator politicians" who believe winning at all costs?whether through logic or slander?is what matters, may have ultimately led to tragedies such as the attempted assassination of the leader of the main opposition party.

Meanwhile, challenges we face have piled up, including low growth, a demographic cliff, North Korea issues, polarization, US-China relations, and the emergence of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). Problems that cannot be solved by traditional methods such as democratization or industrialization are accumulating. The political sphere clearly recognizes that this is an "era of great transformation" and a "crisis." However, efforts to seek solutions on how to navigate this are hard to find. Rather than showing the courage to explore uncharted paths, political extremes maintain a hostile symbiotic relationship, relying on "fighting" the opponent as the easiest way to protect vested interests.

Is there a possibility for change?

In the third zone, which aims to break the partisan logic between the two major parties and open a new political space, some "brave voices" are emerging. Lee Jun-seok, chairman of the Reform New Party’s Policy Committee, who announced the formation of a new party and mentioned pension reform issues, declared, "We will face the crisis of the Republic of Korea head-on and boldly speak the unpopular truth." The "New Choice," a coalition of former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop, progressive politicians, and labor movement forces, has pulled out a labor reform card that involves a "trade-off" between the long-taboo introduction of female conscription, the labor camp’s demand for retirement age extension, and the conservative government’s claim for a job-based wage system. At least in their words, there is a willingness to acknowledge the crisis as it is and to seek possible solutions. They expect that if their sincerity is conveyed, voters will respond positively.

The fear of "crisis" is also changing the previously immovable image of the major parties. Han Dong-hoon, the emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, who emerged amid theories of a crushing defeat in the general election, has put "gap reduction" at the forefront of this year’s election agenda. Han said, "The general election is a time when politicians must pay close attention to the public," and added, "Normally, people would say 'That won’t happen,' but this time political imagination can become reality." In other words, politics can change at the moment of judgment. Now the stage of the general election is open. It is time for the political sphere to bravely showcase political imagination and demonstrate the ability to realize that imagination. After all, before purchasing a product, one must present the catalog.