Nazi Gestapo prosecutors run amok in South Korea, democracy in ruins
14 July, 2024
South Korean President Yun Seok-yul and his wife Kim Gun-hee greet each other as they arrive on a private plane, Air Force One, at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., U.S., where the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 75th anniversary summit is being held, July 10, local time. Yonhap News Agency
A country where prosecutors dare to punish the National Assembly for 'impeaching a prosecutor'? Democracy and republicanism have long since collapsed under the weight of this autocratic farce.
The Tyranny of the Prosecutors
With the rise of Yoon Seok-yul, a president
with a prosecutor's mentality, we are witnessing the wholesale persecution of
Lee Jae-myung and any media daring to criticize the regime. This witch hunt is
dismantling South Korea's political balance, sending the nation spiraling away
from the ideals of republicanism, which once symbolized a society of collective
governance. Forget the Roman Republic’s balanced structure; what we have now is
a dystopia where the consuls (read: prosecutors), senate, and people's assembly
are nothing but pawns in a grotesque power play.
Prosecutorial Hegemony
The prosecutor's office has been on an
unchecked power trip since the days of Roh Tae-woo. Replacing military heads
with prosecutors, the office sidelined internal affairs, security services, and
the police, making them the overlords of "public security" and
orchestrating a war on crime. The term "prosecutor's republic" isn't
a metaphor—it's our grim reality. For over three decades, from Kim Young-sam to
Moon Jae-in, prosecutors have collected dirt on presidents, waiting to unleash
their findings at opportune moments to jail them post-term. This bloodthirsty
vendetta has turned the prosecutor's office into an omnipotent beast, a
once-loyal hunting dog now usurping the master’s throne.
The Prosecutor's Reign of Terror
President Moon Jae-in, who once served as
Roh Moo-hyun’s chief of staff and bore witness to the destructive might of the
prosecutors, failed spectacularly at reform. Many hoped he would tame the
prosecutorial beast, but he fell into the same trap. After the 2016 candlelight
rallies and Park Geun-hye’s impeachment, he squandered his golden chance at
reform, choosing instead to prioritize corruption cleanup and hand the reins to
the very institution needing reform. The appointment of a prosecutor loyalist
as prosecutor general only cemented the prosecutor's grip on power. Fast
forward to March 2022, and the election of Yoon Seok-yeol marks the final
triumph of the prosecutors, a coup de grâce to any semblance of political
power.
The Prosecutor's Republic is Born
The political crucifixion of Lee Jae-myung,
the former Democratic Party leader, epitomizes the reign of Yoon Seok-yeol. The
prosecution's relentless pursuit to arrest him is nothing short of a vendetta.
Despite the National Assembly’s initial resistance, and even the court’s
rejection of arrest warrants, the prosecutors, emboldened by their exclusivity
and favoritism, continue their legal harassment. Lee Jae-myung is entangled in
multiple trials with more charges likely, while the prosecutors also target his
aides and media figures, pushing their agenda through a tsunami of indictments.
This isn’t just prosecutorial dominance; it’s a prosecutorial dictatorship, plain and simple.
Indiscriminate Prosecutorial Assaults
For those ensnared in the prosecutorial
web, a guilty verdict spells the end of their career, if not their life. Yet,
prosecutors face no consequences for their failures of trials. In retaliation, Lee
Jae-myung and the Democratic Party have launched their own counteroffensive.
The Democratic Party’s impeachment motions against three prosecutors, followed
by a proposal to impeach four more, show their
determination. Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok’s ominous declaration to
investigate and punish lawmakers reeks of a Gestapo-like crackdown.
The Republic on the Brink
If the current showdown between prosecutors
and the national assembly persists, the democratic republic will crumble. When executive
officials and the legislature clash with such destructive force, the very
fabric of republicanism tears apart. While former prosecutor president Yoon Seok-yeol, the People's Power
party, and their conservative mouthpieces may point fingers at the Democratic
Party’s legislative dominance and supposed power abuses, the true culpability
lies with the prosecutors. Their unprecedented power grab is unparalleled in modern
history. Should Han Dong-hoon ascend at the People’s Power convention, the
prosecutors may well seize the next presidency, further solidifying their
autocracy.
It’s not only institutional frameworks like constitutions that safeguard democracy, but also norms like mutual tolerance and institutional restraint. The prosecution’s refusal to recognize Lee Jae-myung as a legitimate political leader, treating him instead as a criminal, obliterates these norms. Consequently, the republic is disintegrating under the prosecution's iron fist. The real question is, who invited this Nazi-esque political nightmare into our midst? Probably former president, Moon Jae-in is the one of whom deserves blame on this prosecutorial dictatorship.