Since the democratization of the late 80s, the President-Congress relations in Korea have been changing greatly. The bilateral relations, once characterized as “Presidential dominance over Congress” in the past authoritarian governments, are becom...
Since the democratization of the late 80s, the President-Congress relations in Korea have been changing greatly. The bilateral relations, once characterized as “Presidential dominance over Congress” in the past authoritarian governments, are becoming more equal in nature. Moreover, as the phenomena of “divided government” occur frequently, many political analysts are worried about the possibility of severe conflict between the two institutions and the consequent political paralysis and policy gridlock.
Viewing the tension and conflict in the bilateral relations are structurally given under a “democratic” Presidential government, this paper emphasizes the importance of finding ways to make the relations more constructive and cooperative. More specifically, the paper argues that the strengthening of political parties and the revitalization of party politics are the keys to more constructive relations between President and Congress. In addition, the paper discusses several institutional measures to strengthen Korean political parties in reference to party reform and electoral system reform.