[Constitutional Amendment, Connecting the Future] "Clear Pros and Cons of Parliamentary System, Political Structure Needed to Suit Korea's Specificity"

Interview with Lee Jipyung, Professor at the Department of Convergence Japan Regional Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
"Japan's parliamentary cabinet system enables swift legislation but can threaten executive stability"
"In Korea, maintaining the presidential system is preferable, but checks on presidential power are needed"
"Japan's cabinet system struggles with bold reforms during economic downturns"
"The diversity and local base of the Liberal Democratic Party help maintain its long-term rule"
"Political uncertainty in Korea negatively impacts the economy amid global changes; rapid leadership recovery and cooperation are crucial"

Professor Lee Ji-pyeong, a Korean national of Korean-Japanese descent from Tokyo, Japan, and a professor at the Convergence Japan Regional Studies Department at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, diagnosed that "as the weaknesses of the presidential system were exposed due to the emergency martial law situation in Korea, it is urgent to establish a system that can complement this." Having joined LG Economic Research Institute in 1988 and worked there for 33 years, serving as a senior research fellow among other roles, he advised that now is the time for a constitutional amendment suitable for Korea. The following is a Q&A.

Professor Lee Ji-pyeong of the Convergence Japanese Area Studies Department at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies is being interviewed by Asia Economy. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

- Japan, which has adopted a parliamentary cabinet system, has the disadvantage that the strong power of the parliament makes it difficult to guarantee the stability of the executive branch.

▲ In the past, after the era of one-party dominance by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), opposition forces took control of the government in the 1990s, and later the LDP returned to power by forming a coalition with the Komeito Party. Currently, the LDP-Komeito coalition seeks policy cooperation with the Democratic Party for the People.

In a parliamentary cabinet system, when each party makes concessions and compromises considering the positions of the others, political conflicts between the legislature and the executive tend to be relatively less, and various bills can be enacted swiftly.

- Korea and the United States have presidential systems, while Japan has a parliamentary cabinet system. There is heated discussion about constitutional amendment in Korea.

▲ In Korea’s case, it seems preferable to maintain the presidential system to enable swift and bipartisan policies in areas such as national defense and diplomacy, where leadership and speed are important.

However, it is necessary to check the concentration of presidential powers. Strengthening the authority of the prime minister, who has the support of the National Assembly, especially in economic policies, and ensuring cooperation between the prime minister and the president (including limiting the president’s veto power on certain policies) can prevent government paralysis caused by conflicts. It is also necessary to institutionalize transparency in personnel appointments in organizations that are not purely government agencies, such as public corporations, associations, financial institutions, media companies, and large corporations, and to restrain government intervention by the president and others.

Lee Ji-pyeong, Senior Research Fellow at LG Economic Research Institute, is being interviewed by Asia Economy. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

- There is also an argument that the presidential system helps overcome crises during economic downturns.

▲ That is true. A problem with Japan’s cabinet system is that bold reforms are difficult. During long-term recessions, the prime minister’s term was sometimes only about one year, which critics say worsened the prolonged economic slump.

However, under the Abe cabinet, there was an attempt to make the prime minister equivalent to a president, concentrating personnel authority not only over ministers but also senior bureaucrats. This allowed the prime minister to create and manage various councils, leading to improved information concentration and policy execution capabilities. Recently, economic security-related tasks dispersed across ministries were consolidated under the Cabinet Secretariat, introducing an Economic Security Office.

- The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), founded in 1955, has only been out of power for a few years since its establishment. What is the reason?

▲ The LDP has a wide spectrum of personnel. During the high-growth period, it cooperated with the Socialist Party to strengthen welfare systems, including left-leaning figures, while also including right-wing figures who, under the Abe cabinet, enhanced the status of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and decided on military expansion. This diversity seems to help in responding to necessary policies and cooperating with opposition parties. It also has a strong local autonomy base.

- At a time when comprehensive responses have become important with Trump’s second term, political uncertainty in Korea is negatively affecting the economy.

▲ It is a crucial time for rapid recovery of national leadership and for inclusion and cooperation to ease political conflicts. As an export-driven economic powerhouse, Korea must focus on trade negotiations with the United States while also cooperating with Asian economic zones such as Southeast Asia and China, as well as the ‘Global South’ including India and Brazil, to protect the free trade order. Efforts should be made to develop new growth industries and new products to counter investment and employment decline pressures caused by some manufacturing investments moving to the U.S. and others.

In the face of global anti-globalization trends, Korea should take the lead in demanding fair trade from countries while strengthening foreign investment attraction policies and domestic corporate investment activation policies to expand domestic investment. Additionally, establishing new leadership and a control tower, achieving results in short-term measures such as economic revitalization, and addressing low birthrate and aging population issues, fostering advanced industries like semiconductors and next-generation automobiles, and implementing industrial decarbonization measures are necessary to enhance growth vitality.