The 15th issue (Fall 2025) of the quarterly current affairs and cultural magazine 『Rule of Law and Freedom』, published by Legal Broadcasting, the only legal broadcasting station in Korea, to promote the rule of law and freedom in Korean society, has been published.
The special topic of this issue is “For whom is the reform?”
The conflict and repercussions surrounding the "three major reforms" promoted by the Lee Jae-myung administration and the Democratic Party—judicial reform, prosecution reform, and media reform—are growing.
In particular, as the judiciary, led by Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae, is showing a cautious stance on judicial reform, voices of concern about the collapse of the separation of powers are growing louder as President Lee Jae-myung talks about the “hierarchy of power” and the ruling party leader even asks, “What does the Chief Justice say?”
『Law and Freedom』 has already warned of its dangers in its 14th issue, including a special feature on “Separation of Powers in Crisis.”
Kim Young-soo, a former professor of political science and diplomacy at Yeungnam University who contributed the special feature's headline, "The Lee Jae-myung administration's reform of popular sovereignty toward a soft dictatorship," said that while popular sovereignty is a fundamental principle of democracy, the problem is that "they are forcing legislation favorable to their own faction by falsely claiming to be the people...
“The separation of powers is in jeopardy due to attacks on the judiciary,” he diagnosed.
In addition, Professor Kim Seong-ryong of Kyungpook National University Law School provides a critical analysis of the problems with various legislation related to the abolition of the prosecution, and former MBC News Director Oh Jeong-hwan provides a critical analysis of the controversy over the revision of broadcasting laws.
In this issue of 『Rule of Law and Freedom』, the ‘Special Interview’ is noteworthy.
Ham Jae-bong, president of the Korea Institute for Advanced Study, said that the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics winner, James A.
I met with Professor Robinson of the University of Chicago in the United States.
Professor Robinson, known for his books such as “Why Nations Fail,” explains the success and failure, prosperity and decline of many countries, including Korea, through the concept of “inclusive political and economic systems.”
In the conversation, Professor Robinson emphasized, “The core of my theory is that inclusive economic systems lead to economic development, but the foundation for that development comes from inclusive political systems.”
In addition, attorney Lee Myeong-ung's "On the Constitutional Role of Judges," and articles by former Second Deputy Director of the National Security Office Kim Hyung-jin and Dr. Joo Ik-jong, which respectively address the Korea-U.S. summit and recent Korea-Japan relations, also provide a deep insight into current issues.
I also recommend reading Attorney Kim Kwan-gi's "Smoking Gun? A Local Attorney's Experience with a Travel Ban."