Time to establish a new political system

Today, we must devote enough time, wisdom and compromises to designing a political system that meets our realities.

Cho Yoon-jeThe author is a professor emeritus at Sogang University. Three decades have passed since the internet revolutionized the way of communications and doing business through online networks. It’s been 15 years since the technology advanced to the wireless zone through smartphones, and two years since artificial intelligence (AI) moved into the lives of the masses with the advent of ChatGPT. The hindsight on the seismic changes the ongoing digital revolution have brought to the everyday lives of the humankind over the last 30 years strikes awareness on the dizzy pace of evolution in the contemporary age.

The AI-driven evolution can overturn the decision-making process and governance structure that humanity has perpetuated over centuries. Yuval Noah Harari defined the unique trait of the sapiens as the ability to imagine and create fictional realities he called “imagined orders,” such as myths and concepts like money and nation to support and expand their community. Language becomes the means that give humans “immense power by enabling millions of strangers to cooperate and work towards common goals.” If AI comes to dominate fictive language and communication, the history of humanity could be written by machines, not humans.

What stayed constant against the tidal wave of changes are Korean politics and the National Assembly. We cannot find any difference from the 14th Assembly that started its four-year term in 1992 and the 21st that ended in late May. The only changes are the party names and partners of collaboration and the shift toward the left wing. The never-ending confrontation and fighting methods that make up the everyday of the representative politics remain the same.

As the 18th century Industrial Revolution became the foundation of capitalism and democracy, the digital and AI-led revolution can reshape and recompose democracy and capitalism in the future. Social media has already altered democracy geography to enable fandom and populist forces to direct politics. Elected public offices are demanded to become followers of populist demands, not leaders. Society will inevitably turn more left in the digital society due to the greater demand for pension, medical and employment coverages, and fiscal spending. Socialist bias will become more self-fulfilling as people become addicted to fiscal support and assertive through votes to sustain their vested interests and benefits.

We must establish better frameworks for our society to respond to the drastic changes of the times and evolve towards a more effective, fair and peaceful society. That role lies with politics by mapping the direction of advances in technology, market and society. As in the past, a country’s fall and rise hinge on the role of politics, governance structure and leader.

The 22nd Assembly under the dominant opposition has been active for more than a month. Given the extremely partisan environment, our politics would have to either stay deadlocked with the president and the opposition, constantly locking horns until one gives in or tries to wiggle ahead through minimum compromise. The latter is obviously a better choice, but we cannot expect any of the two yielding first in the extreme win-or-lose environment.

Korean politics gambles to lose. Politicians opt for the losing move if their gains are smaller than the loss of the opponent, even if they have a win-win way out. Both the left and right have relied on that strategy because the prosecution’s investigation and jail term will be the consequence of losing the governing power. They must bite the members and party of the other side. After winning the governing power through the militant way, they waste their term doing nothing. What use is the governing power then?

The political system and power structure must be changed. Disadvantages must be given to those attacking the other and scheming to send the opponents to the prison. The optimal scheme could be a multi-party parliamentary democracy to avoid the sad consequences from one extreme force getting the majority or presidential power.

But in Korea’s political environment where approval ratings can easily sink to 20 or 30 percent, a parliamentary democracy can bring about chronic insecurity in governance. By putting forth all the upsides and downsides, the theme of overhauling the state management system, power structure and governing term must be discussed through lively public discussions.

The 1987 Constitutional amendment took place hastily out of political expedience and blind emulation of Western systems. The education and awareness standards of the people are sharply higher than at the time. Today, we must devote enough time, wisdom and compromises to designing a political system that meets our realities. The 22nd legislature must be willing to take up the historical role.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.