President Lee Jae-myung's strategy of direct democracy is being derailed by the neutralization of the ministerial confirmation hearing
President Lee Jae-myung's strategy of strengthening direct democracy is being derailed by the neutralization of the ministerial confirmation hearing, the first step, due to a leak of ruling power.
After the ministerial confirmation hearing was broadcast live to the nation, President Lee held a secret meeting with the floor leaders of the ruling and opposition parties, added a 'situation report' intervention procedure by the secretariat, blocked the verification of additional information disclosure of the ministerial nominee, and interfered with the people's decision to directly participate in the decision.
On the other hand, President Lee declared at the World Political Science Association on the 13th, "The government of the people's sovereignty, which was born through the 'Revolution of Light', is constantly attempting experiments and innovations in direct democracy," and "We will move forward as a true 'nation where the people are the masters.'" He added, "There is no democracy that comes naturally. There is not a single day of spring that is enjoyed for free. If there is anyone who doubts the power of democracy and the power of the sovereign, I tell them to raise their heads and look to the Republic of Korea, a country in the East."
In his inaugural speech, the president declared that he would “strictly uphold the people’s mandate for a new country” by introducing direct democracy and that he would “communicate with the people anytime, anywhere and create a true democratic republic where the people’s sovereign will is reflected in state affairs on a daily basis.”
The direct democracy system is a form of democracy in which citizens directly participate in political decision-making and intervene in the election of public officials. In Switzerland, the Landsgemeinde holds resident meetings at the state level to vote on bills and elect public officials.
In the democratic republic system, if questions are raised about the qualifications of a minister during a National Assembly personnel hearing, the National Assembly and the president extend the public personnel hearing to ensure that the people have the opportunity to resolve the questions and follow the results, which seems to be a democratic consensus procedure.
On the other hand, the president met with Democratic Party floor leader Kim Byung-ki and People Power Party emergency response committee chairman and floor leader Song Eon-seok on the 19th, and regarding this meeting, “Chairman Song requested the withdrawal of the nominations of Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kang Sun-woo and Minister of Education Lee Jin-sook, and it is reported that the president did not give a specific answer,” the Hankook Ilbo reported on the 20th.
The presidential office announced in a press release on the 19th that “an internal report from the presidential office and follow-up discussions related to the personnel hearing will be held tomorrow.”
Woo Sang-ho, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, appeared on a radio broadcast on the 18th and said, “(We will) give the president a comprehensive report on what happened at the hearing, and if the president gives his position on the current issues, we will act according to those instructions,” revealing a policy to neutralize the personnel hearing with a “report on what happened” system that controls the president’s direct judgment of the public hearing and prioritizes “reinterpretation of the hearing.”
On the 13th, the president said to 3,500 political scientists from 10 countries at the World Political Science Association, “Democracy and the economy are inseparable,” and “The core spirit of ‘K-democracy’ that will save our future is to thoroughly restore the values of democracy: freedom, equality, and solidarity,” and “Freedom does not mean freedom from interference or restrictions, as some say. In this time of crisis, where inequality, polarization, and waves of poverty are blocking growth, ‘freedom’ means ‘economy.’”
The president continued, “The only way to win against all things that threaten democracy is through more democracy,” and “We will move toward a true ‘country where the people are the masters’ by institutionalizing and routineizing direct communication with the people and actively reflecting it in state administration,” declaring his intention to ‘expand direct democracy.’
The president continued his speech at the World Political Science Association General Assembly by declaring, “Democracy is symbolized by Athens, Greece, but I want to let the world know that a new model of proper democracy, a solid democracy where the will of true sovereigns is reflected in politics on a daily basis, begins in Seoul, South Korea.”
On the 19th, Kang Deuk-gu, a member of the ruling Democratic Party, publicly opposed the nominee for Minister of Education Lee Jin-sook on SNS, saying, “I urge the nominee for Minister of Education Lee Jin-sook to voluntarily resign,” and “After the recent confirmation hearing for the nominee for Minister of Education, criticism that she does not meet the public’s expectations is growing stronger.”
On the 13th, the president met with former Korea Economic Daily editor-in-chief Jeong Gyu-jae regarding the candidate for Minister of Education, who is embroiled in a controversy over plagiarism in his thesis, and said, “I did not recommend (him) on my own; I was recommended to him, but I feel bad because he seems to have some problems,” revealing his “irrelevance to responsibility.”
Former editor-in-chief Jeong also revealed that when he asked, “What about Jin-sook (Lee Jin-sook, chairman of the Korea Communications Commission)?” the president responded, “I think there will be a political choice soon.” The meeting that day was led by the senior secretary for public relations at the presidential office.
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok inspected the Gwangju disaster site on the 20th due to heavy rain, and then dispatched Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Song Mei-ryeong to Sancheong, Gyeongsangnam-do, where landslides caused casualties due to the presence of more mountains and valleys than farmland, and instructed her to quickly prepare recovery and restoration measures.
The Prime Minister's Office announced on the same day, "Prime Minister Kim) instructed the Minister of the Interior and Safety, the ministry in charge of disaster response, to inspect the site tomorrow (the 21st) and prepare recovery measures."
Refer to <Lee Jae-myung’s 2021 pledge to violate the Constitution for direct democracy with AI is ‘New Deal 4% high growth, July 14, 2025>
K-democracy, neutralization, World Political Science Association, Woo Sang-ho, Lee Jae-myung, Lee Jin-sook, personnel hearing, freedom, direct democracy, responsibility, minister, public official, personnel rights, Kim Min-seok, disaster, Sancheong,