[Viewpoint] Only by Ending Defiance Can Korea Survive

Perhaps tonight could be the last night for 'President Yoon Seok-yeol.' The Constitutional Court's ruling on President Yoon's impeachment trial is just one day away: removal or reinstatement. The dramatic trajectory of President Yoon flashes through the mind. From prosecutor to presidential candidate, and finally to president. With 16,394,815 votes, President Yoon received the highest number of votes in history in the 20th presidential election held on March 9, 2022. Yet, the margin between him and Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate at the time, was only 0.73 percentage points?the smallest margin ever in a presidential election. The two were inevitable political rivals.

President Yoon framed Lee, the leader of the main opposition party, as a 'criminal.' He was not a partner for cooperation or dialogue. Although Lee proposed eight summit meetings starting in 2022, the Blue House maintained the stance that "the president cannot sit face-to-face with a criminal suspect." It was only after the People Power Party suffered a crushing defeat in the 22nd general election on April 19 last year and the government's approval rating plummeted to the 20% range that a summit meeting was held under the pretext of cooperation.

The summit meeting ended without any significant achievements. President Yoon and Lee continued their relentless confrontations afterward. The major opposition party impeached government officials, including the head of the Board of Audit and Inspection, 29 times. President Yoon exercised veto power on a series of bills pushed by the opposition. The livelihood and economic bills created through bipartisan agreement disappeared. The opposition passed the 2025 government budget, which had been drastically cut unilaterally. Ultimately, President Yoon declared martial law on December 3.

Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt emphasized the importance of unwritten norms that have protected democracy in their book, How Democracies Die. Democracy has codified rules such as the constitution and laws, as well as a judicial system. Alongside these, unwritten norms are necessary. These norms continuously reinforce the codified constitution and act as a buffer to protect democracy.

The two key norms are 'mutual tolerance' and 'institutional restraint.' Mutual tolerance means recognizing political competitors as coexisting actors as long as they respect the constitution. Institutional restraint means refraining from exercising power despite having the ability to do so and seeking compromise through dialogue. This political culture is an implicit agreement to prevent the president from wielding all-encompassing power and to stop major parties from being obsessed with showing off their strength. Democracy can function properly only through mutual tolerance and institutional restraint beyond the codified constitution.

Martial law revealed the shameful reality of politics where mutual tolerance and institutional restraint disappeared, reaching its peak. After the impeachment ruling, we face another test: whether we can restore mutual tolerance and institutional restraint. The outcome of this test is directly linked to the nation's future?whether it will be the path of mature democracy or the collapse of democracy.

Yuval Harari wrote in his book Sapiens that Homo sapiens came to dominate the Earth because they are the only animals capable of flexible cooperation in large groups. We are now confronted with the fierce survival competition and nationalism of major powers, including the United States. Discord, conflict, and the resulting political and social instability have reached a level that threatens South Korea's survival. Regardless of the Constitutional Court's ruling, the political sphere must not reject the outcome or incite violent acts. Now is the time to accept the result and unite our strength.