[Viewpoint] Just Because It Seems the President Will Never Change

Is Impeachment Really the Solution?
A Clear Breakthrough to Prevent Greater Chaos
Only a Decisive Move by the President Can Save Everyone

The direction of the political situation can be imagined in three ways. An extreme outcome such as impeachment or shortening of the presidential term, a groundbreaking policy shift by President Yoon Seok-yeol starting with accepting the special investigation laws for Kim Geon-hee and Chae Sang-byeong, and the third scenario, which is the most likely, where a 'strong versus strong' standoff between the president, opposition parties, and civil society continues until the next presidential election.

To end the current deadlock that does not help the livelihood of the people in any way, one side must make a decisive move. For the president, a policy shift is the only breakthrough, but many have long given up hope on that. Changing the status quo in the opposite direction would mean heading toward a catastrophe. The opposition seems to pin their hopes on discovering shocking voice recordings of President Yoon or First Lady Kim in Myung Tae-gyun’s cellphone, reminiscent of the Choi Soon-sil tablet PC scandal.

Even if such an event actually occurs, it is unclear whether the situation will unfold as the opposition expects. If clear violations of the law or fatal evidence of state manipulation by President Yoon and First Lady Kim are exposed, approval ratings will hit rock bottom and calls for impeachment will intensify. However, the scars from the forced regime change process we have already experienced, and above all, the skepticism that the end of that chaos does not automatically guarantee the arrival of the world we hoped for, could create a fundamentally different situation from the Park Geun-hye impeachment.

There is no dominant view that the majority of the public agrees on regarding how strong the voices calling for impeachment of the current administration are. The world portrayed by the media, which repeatedly reports major news such as declarations on the state of affairs by university professors and Catholic priests and weekly citizen rallies filling Gwanghwamun Square, seems precariously on the verge of an impeachment train departing at the slightest spark. On the other hand, the media that turns its head dismissing the opposition’s stubbornness or the tantrums of some radical citizens depicts our society as peacefully flowing as if nothing is happening.

All these circumstances point to the necessity of resolving the current deadlock by avoiding extreme outcomes. The impeachment train, which starts without the support of the entire nation’s wish for forced regime change and without confidence that the country will improve afterward, will push all of us into a more chaotic and unhappy future than eight years ago.

Ultimately, the path that is least likely yet cannot be abandoned is to urge and bring about change in the president. Even though many have already given up hope, and it may ultimately fail, the series of efforts and frustrations themselves are not meaningless as they provide a painful moment of reflection on our civil society’s collective intelligence. And this is believed to be the most reasonable path to minimize threats to social peace, the restoration of democracy, and above all, the economy and people’s livelihoods.

Whether our society plunges into extreme chaos over impeachment or not, or whether the current deadlock is maintained in a consumptive manner, both ultimately signify failure for the president, the administration, and everyone. President Yoon did not enter politics to bring about such a future for this country. If so, there is no other reason or method to consider. Although painful, only a decisive confrontation with the root cause of the crisis is the sole way to slightly increase the possibility of being recorded as a president who did not fail.