Time to end demagoguery and fearmongering

The time has come for the DP to end its addiction to conspiracy theories.

Lee Sang-ryeolThe author is a senior editorial writer of the JoongAng Ilbo. The rare meeting between the two heads of rivalling parties — Han Dong-hoon of the governing People Power Party (PPP) and Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party (DP) — not only dashed hopes for a breakthrough in the never-ending political wrangling but also worsened it by acting as a flash point for demagoguery and fearmongering.

In his opening statement at the televised meeting, Lee raised the suspicion that the presidential office was preparing to declare martial law. “Isn’t the government a complete dictatorship?” he asked. That was the moment when the martial speculation was let out of the closet. How Han later reacted to Lee’s sudden remark with political explosiveness is unclear. If he had sat through the ludicrous accusation, Han could be suspected of being overly naïve as a political novice.

The liability for firing such a dangerous offensive nevertheless should fall entirely on Lee. Under the Constitution, the president can declare martial law during war or warlike emergencies, surrendering the executive and judiciary powers to the military to prevent mayhem. The Constitutional rights of the press, publications, assemblies and rallies are restricted. The last time the country went under martial law was 1980, following the assassination of President Park Chung Hee a year earlier.

The military expanded the emergency martial law nationwide on May 17 in 1980 to ban all political activities and shut down universities to prevent student protests. A total of 26 politicians, including political bigwigs like Kim Jong-pil and Kim Dae-jung, were arrested. Can today’s Korea tolerate reliving the tyrannical period? Five-term lawmaker Jung Sung-ho, a confidant of the DP leader, casually said, “Politicians can raise such suspicions.” He can say that in a free democracy like Korea. But an elected politician must present the grounds for making such a frightful accusation. If not, it is nothing but misinformation and fake news.

Martial law cannot be invoked today for several sobering reasons. For one, it is legally not possible. The president must withdraw the declaration if a majority of the National Assembly demands it. The DP commands 170 seats in the 300-member legislature, which means the party can easily cancel the declaration. Lawmakers also cannot be forcibly detained to stop the vote as the Martial Law Act bans the arrest or detention of lawmakers unless they violate laws.

Even without the legal provisions, martial rule is not possible for practical reasons. First of all, the military won’t comply. The Constitution strictly demands political neutrality from the military. Under civilian presidents over the last 30 years, the military faithfully kept its distance from politics. The foot soldiers today are Millennials or Zoomers born and raised in a free democracy. They watched “12.12: The Day” — a recent film that fictionally looked back at the Dec. 12, 1979 military coup — with fright and awe. Defense Minister nominee Kim Yong-hyun brushed aside the speculation in a confirmation hearing, saying, “Soldiers today won’t go along with the martial law.”

And how about the people? Koreans take pride in the country’s remarkable — and simultaneous — achievement of industrialization and democratization during the postwar period. They even impeached a sitting president for abusing her power. Will they sit quietly with a military rule that restricts their freedom during peacetime? Anyone who thinks so is insulting the Korean people.

Moreover, the idea of declaring martial law is preposterous in today’s interconnected world. Korea is an economic power with free trade agreements with 59 countries and regions which account for 85 percent of the global GDP. K-pop and other contents have become commonplace around the world. Can the country really think of declaring martial law out of political battles? The consequence will certainly cost a nosedive in Korea’s sovereign credit rating and shatter the economy.

The liberal front often resorted to demagoguery and scare tactics after losing power to the conservative front. It fueled the scare over mad cow disease from U.S. beef imports under President Lee Myung-bak, electromagnetic wave risks from the deployment of Thaad missiles under president Park Geun-hye and radioactivity danger from the wastewater release from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plants of Japan under this government. All the theories proved to be baseless, but the DP has never apologized. Many have turned their backs on the party. The time has come for the DP to end its addiction to conspiracy theories.