21세기 시대흐름과 대한민국의 자유민주주의

Reforming Liberal Democracy in Harmony with New Currents in the 21st Century

The Republic of Korea is uncompromisingly a liberal democratic polity. Liberal democracy, however, is not a constant fixture; it needs to change in order to reflect the spirit of the times, the ever-evolving zeitgeist. An outdated version of liberal democracy must step aside to make way for a new reformed one in harmony with social currents of the 21st century. The new currents of post-industrialization and post-materialism are urgently demanding a rapid expiration of excessive across-the-board egalitarianism and rampant populism. Unless liberal democracy satisfies this demand, it is destined to be mired in hollow growth with no employment and all kinds of governance crisis. Unless we reform liberal democracy and cure its overly egalitarian and populist abuses and misuses, deep public distrust and resentment culminating in such a disorderly mass disturbance as the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ will encroach on its very base and eventually endanger its vitality. Protecting and continually promoting the noble ideal of liberal democracy will depend on how successfully we reform the obsolete institutions and practices in several aspects. First, the National Assembly calls for a fundamental upgrade to materialize its legislative expertise. Second, the party system should be reformed to a direction of improving policy-making capability and securing a sense of stability and responsibility in politics. Third, the Constitutional Court must prudently exercise its power of judicial review as a shield against myopic demagoguery and populist legislations. And, finally but not least importantly, we need to prioritize equality of opportunity, ahead of equality of result, as a key component of liberal democracy compatible with the 21st century’s new currents and trends.