Comment on “Absent Leadership: Korea on a Tightrope－Concerns Over the Acting Deputy Prime Minister” [in Japanese]

On December 31, 2024, a comment by Professor Maiko Ichihara (Graduate School of Law) was published in response to the Asahi Shimbun article titled “Absent Leadership: Korea on a Tightrope－Concerns Over the Acting Deputy Prime Minister.” The article discusses the response by Choi Sang-mok, the deputy prime minister and the Minister of Economy and Finance of South Korea, to a passenger aircraft accident at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province. The incident occurred amid an extraordinary political situation in which both President Yoon Suk-yeol and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo faced consecutive impeachment proceedings. Professor Ichihara highlighted the contradiction between President Yoon’s domestic actions, which appear to undermine democratic norms, and his pro-democracy discourses on the international stage. She emphasized that such inconsistencies risk eroding public trust in democracy and expressed hope that President Yoon would fulfill his responsibility to provide an adequate explanation and that the situation would move toward resolution.

https://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASSDZ4QJQSDZUHBI00CM.html?iref=commentator_detail_article#expertsComments