[Opinion] Will War-like Politics Continue?

The official election campaign for the April 10 general election is about to begin. However, even before the election takes place, it is difficult to shake off concerns about our politics after the election. This is because there is little expectation that the war-like politics we have witnessed throughout the 21st National Assembly will change.

A particularly noticeable feature of this election is the hardening of the opposition. The candidate selection results of the Democratic Party of Korea, which has been criticized as ‘pro-Myeong hardliners and anti-Myeong moderates eliminated,’ are expected to push the party’s line even further to the right. The relatively moderate and centrist faction within the Democratic Party has been virtually purged. Instead, the pro-Myeong faction, which led the party on a hardline path, has taken their place and firmly seized control of the party. The Democratic Party during the 21st National Assembly was also described as ‘historically hardline,’ consistently following a tough stance. The backlash against the party’s legislative dominance in the National Assembly was a major factor in the Democratic Party losing power in the last presidential election. Nevertheless, the hardline stance of the Democratic Party is expected to strengthen even more in the 22nd National Assembly.

The party that has penetrated the gap between the Democratic Party and the People Power Party is the Joguk Innovation Party. Running candidates only in the proportional representation election, the Joguk Innovation Party has been on the rise, recording polling numbers that exceed expectations and competing with the Democratic Party. It is widely analyzed that they have gained support from the so-called ‘anti-Yoon, anti-Myeong’ (anti-Yoon Seok-yeol, anti-Lee Jae-myung) faction. However, the Joguk Innovation Party’s platform is even more hardline than the Democratic Party’s. Their position is to push for the early resignation of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. Party leader Joguk has declared, “The remaining three years of the term are too long,” and stated, “We intend to fight faster and ahead of the Democratic Party.” Yet this is another form of extremism, largely driven by personal grudges.

The Joguk Innovation Party’s hardline stance leads to a competition for clarity with the Democratic Party. Concerned that the Joguk Innovation Party will siphon off their votes in the proportional representation ballot, the Democratic Party responds with equally hardline rhetoric. At rallies, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung has said, “It would be better if (the president) didn’t exist.” Looking at the candidates of the Democratic Party’s satellite party for proportional representation, the Democratic Union, the entire opposition appears to be hardening.

Many might argue that since the Yoon Seok-yeol administration has lost public support due to poor governance, it is only natural for the opposition to adopt an uncompromising hardline stance. After all, President Yoon’s failure to win public favor is a result of his own actions. However, the concern lies in the fear that the ‘politics as war’ situation, which has persisted for the past four years, will be reenacted even more intensely.

There is no desire or reason to defend the mistakes of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s ruling forces. Since taking office, President Yoon has governed without communicating with the public, and the People Power Party lost public support after being dubbed the ‘Yongsan Branch Office.’ As the general election approached, the People Power Party hastily formed the ‘Han Dong-hoon Emergency Committee’ in an attempt to transform itself. Voters must make a strict judgment on the ruling forces based on their performance.

However, the fact that most opposition politicians who understood the virtues of coexistence and compromise have been purged raises concerns about an opposition that will have only ‘struggle’ and no ‘politics’ after the election. Politics that regards opponents as entities to coexist with, rather than to annihilate, is necessary in any situation, yet such people have become invisible. Meanwhile, hardline YouTubers and fandoms in the ruling camp fiercely criticize People Power Party’s Han Dong-hoon Emergency Committee leader, blaming him for being manipulated by ‘leftists’ into actions such as ‘Lee Jong-seop’s return’ and ‘Hwang Sang-moo’s resignation.’ The environment is ripe for the 22nd National Assembly to also descend into extreme confrontational politics. I believed that one of the era’s spirits that the 22nd general election should realize is the restoration of politics through ‘breaking away from left-right extremism.’ However, the future of our politics is shrouded in thick fog. The ‘centrist competition’ between the ruling and opposition parties that used to occur during elections is hard to find this time. Where have all those centrists gone, and what are they thinking?

Yoo Chang-sun, Political Commentator