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even if the opposition holds both houses, in the South Korean system the National
Assembly can make life nearly impossible for a president. Given its power vis-a-vis
the executive branch, the National Assembly is arguably a more attractive target than
even the presidency in South Korea.

Over the past several years, the Democratic Party (DP) has been allegedly
manipulating the electoral system to obtain power and establish a one-party state. A
key part of the strategy has been taking dominant control of the National Assembly
which would allow them to support a sympathetic president (creating an effective
one-party state) or handcuff an opposition President – blocking his ability to govern
and causing chaos in the country.

2017 Presidential Election

It was the Democratic Party’s Moon Jae In's election as President in 2017 that put
this goal within reach as he moved quickly to put loyalists in key parts of the systems,
including the judiciary.
Moon was preternaturally soft on North Korea and the People’s Republic of China
(PRC). He even states in his autobiography that he was euphoric on hearing of
America’s defeat in Vietnam.

His close advisors and some of his appointees to key positions were hard-core
radicals.

Just take Lee In-young, the Unification Minister appointed in July 2020, and read
the transcript of his confirmation hearing in the National Assembly. Lee is biting his
tongue but doesn’t seem to have changed much since his days as the #2 person in the
Anti-American Youth Association – the underground organization that provided
leadership to Jeondaehyup, the violent, radical 1980’s student organization based
upon North Korea’s Juche ideology.

Moon packed the judiciary and tried to bring the prosecutors under control as
well. The head of the intelligence service was reportedly chummy with North Korea.
And the local media were intimidated as the Moon administration used libel laws
(truth is no defense in South Korea) and threats of tax audits to silence and even
imprison critics – including private citizens. As one senior US official put it: “Moon
took a stiletto to the free press (in South Korea.)”

The South Korean military was put on notice with the arrest of a four-star general
shortly after Moon took office on sketchy “abuse of power” charges of which he was
later acquitted. But the military got the message.

And Moon used the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) like a weapon.
KCTU itself was charged by Korean authorities in the so-called Changwon espionage
case in 2024 with having direct ties to North Korea – specifically forming an
underground organization linked to North Korea under the direction of the North
Korean spy agency.

Moon also went after South Korean industry – notably Samsung. Big business was
one of the few remaining major obstacles to total control. And Moon moved to place
KCTU cells inside more companies – like Communist Party committees inside
“private” companies in the PRC – to better intimidate and control.

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