창작과 비평

[On the Scene] Civil Congress: the Way to Fulfill Democracy / Oh Hyun-chul

The Quarterly Changbi 177, Autumn 2017

 

Abstract

Oh Hyun-chul argues the need for a civil congress in order to compensate for the demerits of representative democracy. This article puts emphasis on the importance of citizens' collective decision-making process and its theoretical grounds, in addition to the process of institutionalization, with some relevant examples from foreign countries. The civil congress and its decision-making process, assumedly drawing more reasonable and sensible conclusions than those in the National Assembly, are expected to help resolve conflicts of interest, such as the nuclear phase-out policy or removing the weirs of the Four-Major-Rivers Project.