CHOI JANG-JIP: KOREA NOT YET MATURE DEMOCRACY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 002400 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KN KS SUBJECT: CHOI JANG-JIP: KOREA NOT YET MATURE DEMOCRACY Classified By: POL Joseph Y. Yun. Reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Legendary political scientist and Korea University emeritus Choi Jang-jip told poloff on December 11 that he thought Korea had not fully democratized and that the main hurdle to this goal was an overly strong central government. Choi, a college classmate of President Lee Myung-bak and a prominent liberal scholar, had no kind words for his erstwhile friend, saying that Lee was attempting to use the levers of executive power to such an extent that he was worried that Korea, instead of become a "better" democracy, might be headed back toward a more authoritarian era. The next step Korea should take to avoid this regression was to provide institutions of government, either through reform or elections, that would seek to protect the weak and less privileged. Choi said he thought the current practices were so entrenched those with vested interests would likely successfully maintain the current system. End Summary -------------- Constitutional Reform Needed -------------- ¶2. (C) Korea's foremost liberal/progressive expert on democratization and professor emeritus at Korea University, Choi Jang-jip told poloff on December 11 that Korea's constitution was written in 1987 based largely on the U.S. model, but checks on the executive branch were largely left out. The main focus was to democratize while maintaining control over the populace so that continued economic development would be possible. Therefore, the court and legal system were placed firmly under executive branch control. In addition, people in Korea were so used to massive power being held by the central government during the authoritarian period, they did not and still do not question a strong executive branch. ¶3. (C) Choi noted that the current discussion about a constitutional reform in Korea was largely focused on changing the current single-term presidency to a two-term presidency, but that some, like him, were arguing for a constitutional reform that would address the shortcomings in the system. He thought that unless the system was changed to decrease the power of the president, Korean democracy would not evolve further. -------------- Representation or Demonstration -------------- ¶4. (C) To be more representative, Korea should develop a system that allowed more people access to and communication with the government. Particularly, a more advanced democracy should focus more on protecting the under privileged. Since the weak are not represented and generally have limited access to the government, the only avenue for those with complaints about the government is to demonstrate. Choi predicted that since President Lee was attempting to control labor and others not supportive of him in the name of economic recovery, large-scale protests such as the ones surrounding U.S. beef could become a staple of Lee's tenure. -------------- "DP Has No Realistic Vision" -------------- ¶5. (C) Choi, who played a prominent role in the Kim Dae-jung government as Chair of the Policy Planning Committee to the President, said that the leadership of the opposition Democratic Party (DP) offered no realistic vision or alternative to the GNP and President Lee. Veterans of the fight for democracy in the 1980s had failed to focus on pushing for needed changes in the system of government and therefore, they were largely ignored by the Korean people. They focused too much on ideology and therefore not only failed to offer needed alternatives for the structure of the government, they also had lost the support of the Korean people. He said he was not optimistic that the progressives would address the situation with any practical alternatives. -------------- School Ties -------------- ¶6. (C) Choi, a college classmate of Lee Myung-bak, said that he and Lee had followed such divergent paths since graduation that he did not keep up the close friendship they had during college. Other classmates had played a prominent role in getting Lee elected in 2007 and Choi said many were upset now because they could not even contact President Lee. ¶7. (C) One of Choi's University of Chicago fellow alums, Kim Tae-hyo, is now the Deputy National Security Advisor. Choi said Kim was so set in his ways it made it difficult to adjust North Korea policy even though thus far it had failed. He said there were too many inflexible thinkers in the Lee government that made it difficult for them to acknowledge the "Denuclearization, Opening, 3000" plan needed to be adjusted. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) Choi is widely hailed as one of Korea's top academics and even conservatives grudgingly acknowledge the U of Chicago PhD's credentials and insights. Critical of the current president as well as the opposition, he continues to fight the good fight trying to push Korea to evolve into a more mature democracy. STEPHENS