계엄과 탄핵 이후 한국 민주주의 진단과 전망 - 파워엘리트, 극우 생태계, 정당정치 지형을 중심으로

초록

Following the 12·3 self-coup attempt, constitutional institutions and citizens’ action could defend democracy, but sustained inquiry into structural vulnerabilities of Korean democracy must now proceed. Many military and government power elites colluded with or condoned the coup, with virtually no resistance; during the impeachment crisis the far right’s mobilization threatened constitutional order; and the coup and far-right forces retained significant support―all indicating persistent fragility of democracy in Korea. To diagnose the crisis’s structural bases across martial law, the impeachment standoff, and the presidential election, this paper ①specifies the actors, organization, and ideology of the self-coup and the “behind-the-scenes” power elites; ②analyzes the organizational ecology behind anti- impeachment and far-right activism―above all, Protestant churches, social media, youth far-right, and U.S.-Korea networks; and ③examines voter alignments and party-system configuration in the 6·3 presidential election. It concludes that, although the majority of political and societal forces in Korea support democracy, mainstream power elites and social organizations claiming ‘conservatism’ are dominated by the far right groups, such that, once they capture political power, rapid democratic breakdown is structurally primed.

키워드