정부형태 개편론에 대한검토 -최근의 개헌논의를 중심으로- = What Is Wrong With the Five Year Single Term Presidential System? :-A Critical Review on a Disguised Quest for Cabinet System in Korea-

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This essay aims to review some arguments for constitutional revision to change the current five-year-single-term presidential system. Having examined Korean history of governmental structure, features of Korean constitutional history, general theory of governmental forms, the author tries to criticize those arguments on two main accounts. First, it is not persuasive to look into problems of the current form of government only from the perspective of constitutional institutions. Considering that the constitution is a complex system where institutions and political culture interact with each other, most problems of the single term presidential system should be examined not only from the perspective of constitutional institution but also from the perspective of legislative institution such as electoral system or party system and cultural angle. Without a full understanding of such factors, for example, lack of political leadership, majoritarian parliamentary election system, weak party system, over-politicized mass media, unbalanced politicization of society (coexistence of over-politicization of some part of society and apoliticization of other part of society), any attempt to change single term presidential system could not produce any meaningful effect. Second, the causes of pathological inefficiency and instability of the political system can be found in the presidential system itself rather than the term of president as some politicians assume so that any attempt to introduce four year two-term presidential system or semi-presidential system cannot be the right alternative to the present system. In conclusion, the author argues that the remaining alternative would be cabinet system but since it has been unpopular among Korean people, those who support constitutional change of single term presidential system need to first persuade Korean people to take cabinet system seriously instead of tickling them with a disguised mutation of cabinet system like semi-presidential system.