Trump Faces South Korea's 'Minority Government' Legacy
The Chosun Ilbo · Jeong Woo-sang ·
Trump Faces South Koreas Minority Government Legacy Manmoolsang Coined in 1988, the term now defines divided governance from Roh Tae-woo to Trump and Yoon Suk Yeols impeachment
On the night of April 26, 1988, South Korea faced a historic shift as opposition parties, not the ruling party, secured a majority in the National Assembly for the first time. President Roh Tae-woo led the Democratic Justice Party, but the opposition bloc—comprising Kim Dae-jung, Kim Young-sam, and Kim Jong-pil—held the majority. Newspapers raced to set their front-page headlines. The Chosun Ilbo’s deputy editor-in-chief proposed the term “yeo-so-ya-dae,” literally meaning “a small ruling party and a large opposition,” succinctly capturing the fact that the opposition parties held more seats than the ruling party. The editor-in-chief responded, “That’s it.”
▶The next day, headlines varied: some used “ya-gang-yeo-yak” (strong opposition, weak ruling party), others “ya-da-yeo-so” (opposition many, ruling party few). However, only “yeo-so-ya-dae,” endured as the standard political term. Its neutrality in describing the seat disparity made it the most intuitive and catchy phrase. Today, the term “minority government” is taken for granted, but it emerged this way.
▶Under a presidential system, the ruling party can become a minority in the legislature. South Korea calls this “minority government,” while the U.S. refers to it as a “divided government.” Conversely, when one party controls both the White House and Congress, it is called a “unified government.” From 1900 to 1968, the U.S. had unified governments 80% of the time, but since then, approximately 75% have been divided governments. After the midterm elections where Democrats won sweeping victories in both chambers, U.S. media uniformly highlighted “divided government” in their headlines.
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