{"id":2199627,"date":"2022-12-02T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T09:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/koreapro\/?p=2199627"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:10:53","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:10:53","slug":"yoons-attacks-on-the-press-betray-critical-misread-of-what-makes-democracy-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/12\/yoons-attacks-on-the-press-betray-critical-misread-of-what-makes-democracy-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoon\u2019s attacks on the press betray critical misread of what makes democracy work"},"content":{"rendered":"
When the Yongsan Presidential Office (YPO) last month <\/span>denied<\/span><\/a> a customary seat for one of South Korea\u2019s largest broadcasters on Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s plane to report on his trip to Southeast Asia, it appeared to score an embarrassing own goal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Yoon has publicly positioned himself several times as a champion of freedom. He used the word <\/span>30 times<\/span><\/a> to drive the point home in his inaugural address. But by apparently attempting to censor MBC over a wafer-thin pretext, Yoon did more damage to his credibility than his worst critics could have done.<\/span><\/p>\n The YPO claimed that MBC threatened national security and damaged U.S.-ROK relations two months ago by airing a \u201c<\/span>hot mic<\/span><\/a>\u201d comment from Yoon appearing to call U.S. lawmakers \u201cbastards\u201d after a brief meet-and-greet with Joe Biden. Yoon doubled down when he declared he kicked MBC off his plane because he felt that it was necessary to \u201c<\/span>defend the constitution<\/span><\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If Yoon doesn\u2019t practice what he preaches, then it begs the question, what does he or the conservative party that he belongs to stand for?<\/span><\/p>\n The political left is easier to understand. Whether they are quietly protesting in front of the U.S. Embassy or yelling into an overly-loud microphone or introducing <\/span>business-unfriendly<\/span><\/a> legislation<\/span><\/a>, it is easy to understand that their agenda derives from an underlying ethic. Essentially, they tend to prioritize justice and equality over other values.<\/span><\/p>\n But what is the corresponding ethic of conservatives? In other democracies, conservatives tend to be distinguished from progressives by a bedrock belief in individual liberty, personal responsibility and the free market \u2014 at least conventionally speaking. The government\u2019s fundamental role, they think, is not to deliver happiness but to safeguard the freedom needed for citizens to pursue their individual goals.<\/span><\/p>\n However, South Korean conservatives are not as easy to pigeonhole because the roots of the People Power Party (PPP) lie in the period when Korea was not a democracy. There is no need to overly blame conservatives for this because they built the foundations of the modern liberal state and <\/span>there\u2019s a case to be made<\/span><\/a> that they would not have been able to do so without firm controls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The illiberal era ended in 1988 with the inauguration of Roh Tae-woo, who was outgoing dictator Chun Doo-hwan\u2019s preferred candidate. Despite that, Roh said all the right things to indicate the start of a new, liberal era.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are now lined up on the starting line of democracy,\u201d he <\/span>said<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThe day when freedoms and human rights could be slighted in the name of economic growth and national security has ended. The day when repressive force and torture in secret chambers were tolerated is over.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This sounded fine. However, it merely expressed the sentiment of the day rather than deeply cherished conviction. In other words, South Korean conservatives slipped into democracy without a clearly articulated philosophical change. Therefore, despite their lofty rhetoric, in their heart, they still view too much freedom as risky.<\/span><\/p>\n