Lee Jae-myung's One-Man Rule: Eliminating Legislative Obstacles, Blocking Accountability Beyond Elections, and Obstructing Voters' Views
President Lee Jae-myung's one-man rule, driven by strengthened executive power, mimics the hardline conservative system, which eliminates legislative obstacles to accountability for events other than elections and obstructs voters' viewpoints.
The theoretical basis for the expansion of executive power in the US Supreme Court, dominated by conservatives, is the "unitary executive power theory." In the 1980s, the Reagan administration replaced laws with executive orders to maximize presidential authority, a practice restored under the Trump administration.
In a New York Times column on the 17th, lawyers close to the Reagan administration, who built the hardline conservative establishment, explained the theory of unitary executive power, stating, "They felt frustrated by the numerous legislative obstacles to their presidential ambitions. This theory was interpreted as broadly granting inherent authority by emphasizing the Constitution's provision granting executive power, which states, 'Executive power is vested in the President of the United States.'"
Columnist Jay Boo's column stated, "This inherent power stems from Article II of the Constitution's mandate to 'take care that the laws be faithfully executed,' and includes the power to remove executive branch officials at will." He added, "This theory effectively shields the president from legislative oversight, aims to make him immune from accountability except for elections every four years, and runs counter to the constitutional structure of separate branches sharing power, not the separation of powers."
The column continued, "Whether or not the unitary executive branch theory holds historical or intellectual grounds, it is undoubtedly true that in the hands of a president like Trump, greater executive power is less a means of making the government more accountable and more a license for presidential tyranny. It places sovereign power in one person's hands, allowing him to wield it as he sees fit, with little opportunity for true accountability until the next election."
The column stated, "We realize that legislative restraint is one of the primary ways Congress holds the president accountable." It added, "Nonpartisan officials serving the public interest or investigating executive misconduct could not perform their duties if the president could fire them for any reason or without cause. Imagine a member of a regulatory agency being fired for threatening the interests of a favored donor, or an inspector general being ousted for uncovering misconduct."
The column stated that the purpose of the presidency is "to carry out the goals of Congress and govern the country on behalf of the people, not to execute the political will of the president." It added, "It is natural for Congress to sometimes create an institutional distance between its goals and the president's agenda, and a single executive branch does not diminish accountability, but rather enhances it."
The column, addressing the one-man rule structure of a single presidential administration, stated, "While independence can provide voters with a clear view, it can also be used to obscure, obscure, and obstruct direct political control." It added, "It's clear that the concentration of presidential power in the Trump administration has made the government unaccountable and made it more susceptible to public opinion and public discontent."
The column concluded that the worst-case scenario has arisen with both President Trump and the courts embracing the single-man administration theory: "A super-powerful presidency without a true president. His subordinates exercise a single authority, disregarding law and morality to pursue their own narrow agenda."
The conservative-enhanced system, newly pursued by Chief Justice John Roberts and the conservative majority of the Supreme Court, granting the president broad executive powers, has repeatedly supported President Trump's virtually unconditional assertion of authority over the entire executive branch. The court has allowed the president to remove officials protected by congressional protections, clearly signaling its intent to overturn New Deal-era rulings that established the power of Congress to create independent agencies outside of the president's direct control.
The theoretical basis for the courts' expansion of executive power is the "unitary executive branch theory." Under the Reagan administration, executive orders replaced statutes to maximize presidential authority within the presidential system, a practice restored under the Trump administration.
President Lee began his administration's work briefing on the 17th, broadcast live on television, stating, "Responding to political conflicts centered around Yeouido is different from executing administrative actions concerning the lives of the people." He added, "The administration is a top-down command system. A superior has no choice but to trust the reports of his subordinates. Malicious false reports or distorted reports to conceal incompetence are the worst offenses." He declared, "The administration is a one-man system." The president continued, "Our citizens have 100 million eyes and 100 million ears," adding, "We live in an era where hundreds of thousands of people are watching and making judgments in real time." He added, "In the real world of politics, refusing to answer questions, offering irrelevant statements, or lying to avoid responsibility can feel like a sign of skill, but administration is different. False reports and irrelevant answers in the administrative realm are absolutely unacceptable."
The ruling Democratic Party announced a legislative revision to the National Civil Service Act to guarantee the independence of civil servants. On the 25th of last month, the Ministry of Personnel Management announced that it would remove the "duty to obey" clause for the first time in 76 years, replacing it with the "duty to follow orders and supervision."
This abolishes the "obedience system" for civil servants and guarantees the "right to refuse" unreasonable orders from superiors. President Lee's announcement of "obedience" appears to be a reversal of this. The amendment to the National Civil Service Act changes the duty of obedience in Article 57 of the 1949 Finance Act to the "duty to follow directions and supervision." It also prohibits unfavorable treatment, such as promotion lapses or disciplinary actions, for lower-ranking officials who refuse to express opinions or perform duties.
The "duty of sincerity" imposed on civil servants in Article 56 of the Civil Service Act is changed to the "duty of compliance with laws and regulations and diligence." The current provision adds "as servants of the entire nation" to "all civil servants," reflecting the constitutional status of "civil servants of the entire nation."
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) has also announced a partial amendment to the duty of obedience under the 1963 Local Civil Service Act.
The Constitution of the Republic of Korea stipulates in Article 66 that "Executive power shall be vested in the Government headed by the President" and that "Article 75: The President may issue presidential decrees concerning matters delegated to him by law, the scope of which is specifically defined by law, and matters necessary for the execution of law," thus stipulating that the President shall "execute the law in accordance with the law." The US Constitution, following its stipulation that "executive power is vested in the President of the United States," further stipulates in Article 2 that "the laws shall be faithfully executed."
The Korean Constitution stipulates regarding public officials: "Article 7, ① Public officials shall be servants of the entire nation and shall be responsible to the nation," and "② The status and political neutrality of public officials shall be guaranteed as prescribed by law."
The Constitution, regarding the rights of the people, stipulates that "Article 10, All citizens shall be assured of human dignity and worth and have the right to pursue happiness. The State shall confirm and guarantee the fundamental and inviolable human rights of individuals." By explicitly defining the rights of "the state" and "the individual," the Constitution excludes a direct relationship with the "president" and prohibits "personal control by the president." In the preface to Theodore Sorenson's 1963 book, "Decision Making in the White House," President John F. Kennedy wrote, "The essence of the presidency is therefore informed, deliberate, and decisive choice," and that "the secret of the presidential business lies in examining how the presidential selection is made."
New York Times columnist Jamel Bou's column, titled "The White House Is Already Hopeless," was published on the 17th.
See "Special Counsel's Failure to Prove Insurrection Charges: 'Constitutional Disruption' and 'Riot' Lead to Far-Right Conflict, December 15, 2025."