[The World on the Page] Criticized as Vulgar... Yet Politics Remains Essential

After Martial Law, Negative Perceptions Rise
Too Important to Abandon Despite Disillusionment
A Time for Genuine Politics of Dialogue and Tolerance
For the Community's Well-being, Sometimes Convictions Must Be Set Aside
Flexibility and Willingness to Compromise Are Essential

Today, the words "politics" or "politician" have become synonymous with ridicule, criticism, denigration, and contempt. In everyday life, when someone is advised, "Don't play politics," there is often an implied suffix that suggests vulgarity and wrongdoing. When we think of politics, we are reminded of cunning without conviction, collusion, the sleight of hand that turns private interests into public good, arrogance and dogmatism that shout and intimidate instead of showing tolerance and listening, and the use of oppression and persecution as weapons in place of rational persuasion. It is only natural, then, that we feel disillusioned and disappointed with politics.

On December 3 of last year, Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law and attempted coup, the shameless brazenness shown by his inner circle after their failure, and the subsequent behavior of political parties that prioritized partisan interests over respect for democratic procedures and judicial order have all fueled our aversion to politics. However, politics is not something to be dismissed. It is so important that we cannot afford to give up on it. In just a few days, the entire nation will be listening intently to every word, action, and policy of the presidential candidates in preparation for the upcoming election. Even when we wish to turn away from politics, it captures our attention. This is why we must strive for better politics.

"Political ability is the ability to compromise." In his book "In Defence of Politics" (Humanitas), Bernard Crick, a leading 20th-century British political scientist, wrote these words. Dialogue and compromise are the most crucial political abilities in Korea following the 12·3 coup attempt. This coup revealed the deep-seated temptation of dictatorship within Korean politics: the willingness to disregard democratic procedures at any time, to despise and oppress others with different thoughts and opinions, and to resort to physical violence to persecute and suppress them.

According to Crick, the use of violence in governance to "enforce harmony as uniformity" stands in complete opposition to politics, which he describes as a "great and enlightened human activity." Politics begins with the acceptance that "society consists of diverse groups with different interests and traditions coexisting," and "the political method of governance is to listen to what other groups have to say, to soothe and persuade them as much as possible," and to "provide them with safety and fully guarantee their means of free expression."

Politics is the act of combining respect for adversaries with the effective realization of governance through appropriate dialogue and negotiation. It is the alchemy of transforming the noise and discord produced by various groups in society into harmony within the community. Therefore, dogmatists who stubbornly cling to their beliefs, cunning divisive figures who split groups and incite conflict, and conspiracy theorists who spread rumors and distrust instead of rational persuasion are not suited for politics.

Crick saw the two greatest enemies of modern politics as ideological dogmatism and technocratic bureaucracy. Ideology turns politics into a battleground of beliefs, amplifying conflict, while bureaucracy reduces politics to a numbers game or data manipulation, degrading it to mere administrative efficiency. It is foolish to believe that "every government decision can be made 'scientifically' or through clearly defined and well-prepared techniques." Through social consensus, politics can always open up a new future for the community, beyond the current numbers presented by economics or science. The pursuit of a better community is the core value of politics.

However, politics is not an obsession with ideals. It is a practical art adapted to changes in social relationships, and an ever-changing activity like a living organism. "If we forcibly integrate all our individuality and diversity into a single organization, that organization becomes extremely abnormal and self-destructive." Politics cannot be the rigid realization of ideology, uncompromising consistency, or the repeated affirmation of fixed, abstract goals. For the sake of the common good and stability of the community, politicians must be willing to abandon their convictions, apologize, and flexibly change their words and actions as needed.

Crick argues that politicians must know how to "soothe and mediate." Only then is good governance possible when "different interests collide within the community," and only then can we "tolerate different truths" and "find the most appropriate level of compromise in the shared interests necessary for survival." In short, meaningful long-term change in a community happens only when people with different ideas and goals compete and struggle, repeatedly working toward common objectives. Frequent dialogue and compromise foster "governance without excessive violence in a divided society" and "creative, flexible, enjoyable, and humane politics."

For this reason, Crick contended that democracy or nationalism should not be followed dogmatically. The German Nazis exploited the support of the overwhelming majority to drive the German people into the madness of Hitler's dictatorship and fascism. Nationalism can function as a totalitarian mechanism that subjugates free individuals as members of the nation and addicts them to "discipline, unity, loyalty, and violence." "There is no government that can guarantee people's happiness, but every government has the power to make people unhappy." When politics fails, democracy and nationalism alike can easily become tools of human oppression. The same is true for conservatism and liberalism. The moment ideology takes precedence over dialogue, consensus, adjustment, and compromise for the common good of the community, politics is destroyed and dictatorship takes its place.

Crick wrote, "A truly political politician knows that, even though political power exists and there is a parliament composed of representatives, nothing is ever truly certain, and conversely, there is nothing in policy that is absolutely non-negotiable." This means accepting that every policy to be achieved "can only be realized through some degree of modification and intervention in a free parliament." We have seen vividly how the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, unable to accept this, descended into appalling tyranny.

The core task of political reform in Korea today is the institutionalization of dialogue and compromise: the realization of a system in which violence cannot be mobilized by the authoritarian decision of a single leader, and the decentralization and dismantling of power excessively concentrated in the president and the central government. This presidential election is the starting point for the real politics that Crick describes. Let us hope that through careful and wise choices, we can make the politics of tolerance and listening a daily reality, so that citizens will never again have to raise candles in protest.

Jang Eunsu, publishing culture critic