Theory of Mixed Government, Considering Economic Interests in Checks and Balances

South Korean President, Moon Jae-in is honorably following up on his campaign promises, reiterating his strong commitment to “first meet the needs of the people.” In January, 2018, President Moon called for a national referendum on constitutional revision, in the meantime urging lawmakers in the Korean National Assembly to accelerate deliberation on potential constitutional amendments to enhance human rights and move to decentralize government in Korea. Among the more important issues in the resulting constitutional debate is the nature and scope of effective checks and balances on the powers of the nation’s Chief Executive. It is common knowledge that Korea has enjoyed a profound and healthy overall trend of social and economic development since 1987. In order to maintain the impetus of this positive growth, this paper suggests that in lieu of making dramatic and possibly ineffective constitution amendments relying solely on the doctrine of separation of powers, which is class neutral and blind to economic interests, scholars and reformers also consider the implications of the classical theory of mixed government. Although the practical impact of mixed government ostensibly died along with the demise of monarchy, giving birth to the Federalists’ formulation of the separation of powers, the theory of mixed government still endures in thoughtful minds because it takes into consideration how alignment in class and economic interests impacts the distribution and consolidation of political power. This piece outlines the history of democratic development in Korea; reviews the separation of powers principle and the liberal view of self-government; briefly surveys typical theoretical responses to liberalism; resurrects the theory of mixed government; argues for the class consciousness that is embedded in the anacyclosis of Polybius; and concludes with a recommendation that Korean scholars reconsider the utility of the classical theory of mixed government to formulate a republican polity that maintains the healthy balance of social and economic development that has characterized the Korean democratic movement since its inception. In substance, the term democracy is modern shorthand for mixed government, which may best function today in a healthy republic through the independence of the chief executive (representing the interests of all citizens alike with no particular regional or class preferences) and the equal vigilance of a citizenry that is intimately involved in government at the local and national levels. Much additional reflection and deliberation is required, and this paper is only an initial inquiry.