Critics Warn of “Authoritarian Drift” in SKorea

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung accused of undermining judicial independence sparking fears of authoritarian power grab

Tokyo, 22nd September 2025 – Published as an article in the Japanese newspaper Sekai Nippo. Republished with permission. Translated from Japanese. Original article.

Is South Korea Now in a “Purge and Revolution”?

Ignoring the Constitution – Rushing Toward a Lee Jae-myung Doctrine and China/North-Korea-Style “Democracy”?

by Isami Ueda (上田勇実)

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Seoul – The progressive Lee Jae-myung administration in South Korea, as U.S. President Trump pointed out, appears to be running toward a “purge and revolution”. Beginning with former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife, conservative political opponents are being arrested and prosecuted one after another as “insurrectionist forces”, and some voices even warn that the administration may be trying to seize control of the judiciary to build a long-term leftist dominance.

A startling perception from the president – that the judiciary is beneath the National Assembly.

The morning after Lee held a press conference marking his 100th day in office on the 11th of this month, a major South Korean newspaper ran an editorial with a headline to that effect.

At the press conference Lee was asked about the constitutionality of the “Special Court for Insurrection” that the ruling Democratic Party is pushing. That court is being considered as a way to “overcome” a situation that arose when, late last year, in the aftermath of then-President Yoon’s declaration of emergency martial law, the court rejected the prosecution’s request for an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Han Deok-soo. Lee said,

“Where is it unconstitutional? Judicial independence does not mean the judiciary may act as it pleases. It must make judgments in accordance with the constitution and conscience within a structure set by the legislature.”

At the press conference Lee referred to a “hierarchy of power in Korea”. He said at the top is the will of the people, followed by powers directly elected by those people (the president and National Assembly members), and then powers that are indirectly selected (such as the judiciary). In other words, he appears to believe that he and the ruling party who won the election sit above the judiciary and are not bound by judicial rulings that run counter to their intentions. In response, South Korean legal experts have loudly denounced this as “a dangerous idea that ignores the separation of powers.”

There has also been criticism of the ruling party for demanding the resignation of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court – the justice who ordered remands pointing toward guilt in various trials related to suspicions about Lee – on the basis of fake news circulating on YouTube.

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the conservative opposition “Reform New Party”, sneered sharply:

“If separation of powers is a nuisance, President Lee should amend the constitution and simultaneously serve as president, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and leader of the Democratic Party. If you model it on China – where the state chairman, general secretary of the Communist Party, and chairman of the Central Military Commission hold overlapping posts – or North Korea – where the chairman of the State Affairs Commission, general secretary of the Workers’ Party, and supreme commander of the people’s army hold concurrent titles – it would match the world the Democratic Party dreams of. And both China and North Korea claim their systems are democracies.”

Lee retains tremendous power within the Democratic Party and won the presidency. It seems he believes the only institution left to deal with is the judiciary. He habitually says, “the will of the people is paramount,” and when last year’s turmoil caused by the declaration of martial law was brought under control, he hailed it as a “victory for democracy”. Yet many observers fear that, in reality, he is applying pressure to the judiciary and racing toward an authoritarian politics aimed at controlling the three branches of government.

Last month, just before his summit with Lee, Mr. Trump posted on his social media, “In Korea, it’s as if a purge or revolution is taking place,” causing controversy. But was he simply making an off-hand remark to appease the far right or to justify an antipathy toward the left?

Lee Hee-chun, a former professor at the Korea National Intelligence University who is knowledgeable about analyses of the South Korean left, points out:

“Trump’s remark, based on reports from intelligence agencies, hit the nail on the head about the essence of the Lee administration. ‘Revolution’ can mean a communist revolution, and ‘purge’ could signify the cleansing of reactionary elements that is essential to such a revolution.”

South Korea’s prosecution service is an institution guaranteed by the constitution, but there are suspicions that the push to dismantle it could be unconstitutional. Some legal observers say President Lee has “struck first” to prepare for the possible reopening of prosecutions in which he himself might become a suspect after he leaves office.

Lee’s thinking – which ignores the separation of powers and the constitution that should serve as the last bulwarks against governmental overreach – “seems to be trying to force obedience to Lee Jae-myung’s directives the way in North Korea the Workers’ Party rules sit above the constitution and Kim Jong-un’s guidance sits above them,” according to a former senior prosecutor.

At last month’s Japan–South Korea summit, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Lee created a conciliatory atmosphere, and a major Japanese newspaper proudly reported in an interview that it had obtained from Lee a pledge to “adhere to the Japan–South Korea agreement on comfort women and forced labor.” But can we truly feel at ease dealing with a neighboring leader who seems to be charging forward as if toward “purge and revolution”? Careful judgment is called for.

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Featured image above: President Lee Jae-myung at a G-7 Summit 17th June 2025. Photo: Dati Bendo / European Union. License: CC Attr 4.0 Int. Cropped

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