The 2006 US funny” Stranger Than Fiction” follows IRS auditor Harold ( Will Ferrell ), who realizes he’s a figure in a writer’s work. As he learns that the author plans to kill him off in the close, Harold races to fight her in actual life – and she eventually rewrites the history to let him live.
Much like bewildered Harold as he realizes what fate is in store for him, many international observers are finding themselves increasingly baffled by the social environment in South Korea, where real seems stranger than fiction.
A leading Seoul news, Chosun Ilbo, published an engaging content on March 28, 2025. It features a dialogue between a Chosun Ilbo reporter and a foreign columnist who has been covering Korea.
At a new meeting, the blogger shared his disappointment: readers back home often complain that” Asian news is unfathomable”.
He cited some new developments:
The president abruptly declared martial law on the night of December 3, 2024, without informing case users, ruling party lawmakers, or even South Korea’s important safety ally, the US,
The leader of the main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea ( DPK), has four prior criminal convictions and five ongoing trials, yet remains the leading presidential contender.
After passing an impeachment movement against Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on December 27, 2024, which was rejected by the Constitutional Court on March 24, 2025, the opposition group is now introducing an prosecution action against the deputy prime minister for the business, who had until recently been the speaking leader.
Visitors worldwide responded with astonishment, saying,” This doesn’t make any sense. Sometimes the reporter misunderstood the details and wrote false reports”?
The journalist himself admitted,” There are so many immoral events happening in Korea that perhaps I struggle to understand them”.
Since then, things have just grown man. After the Constitutional Court rejected the prosecution of Prime Minister Han on March 24, the opposition immediately vowed to try again. Then only four days later, on March 28, the DPK announced it would get to oust the entire case.
The ghost of judgment: Lee’s political coming at stake
Their necessity is not without reason. On March 26, DPK head Lee Jae-myung was acquitted in an election law situation, but the prosecution has previously filed an appeal. Beyond this, he remains trapped in various legal battles, including a high-profile$ 1 billion true estate incident. A judgment carrying a fine of just over one million North Korean won – or even a suspended sentence – would disqualify him from running for office for up to ten years.
However, the Constitutional Court has yet to rule on the impeachment of President Yoon. What initially seemed like a decisive outcome now appears extremely likely to be rejected as the pause continues.
Lee’s issues extend far beyond the court. He is also facing empty problem within his own group.
Two distinct tents within the DPK
South Korea’s leftist bloc has long been split between two major factions: National Liberation ( NL ) and People’s Democracy ( PD). The NL party emphasizes cultural nationalism, North-South unification under communism and an anti-US stance.
The PD party is more in range with Western-style liberalism.
Although Lee does not fit neatly into either station, the NL party evidently sees him as an army and is now boldly challenging him.
Foreign policy is another obstacle for Lee. While Lee and his party have taken symbolic steps to affirm the US-ROK alliance – including a resolution supporting the alliance and even suggesting Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize – these moves appear mostly superficial. In substance, Lee remains pro-China.
Risk of identity collapse
Lee is also pushing the Democratic Party in a direction that may alienate its base. His efforts to shift the party toward the center – or even the right – mirror a cautionary tale from Japan.
In 1994, the Japan Socialist Party shocked supporters by forming a coalition with its longtime rival, the Liberal Democratic Party. Its leader, Tomiichi Murayama, became prime minister and quickly abandoned core socialist policies, including opposition to the US-Japan Security Treaty.
The backlash was swift. By 1996, badly defeated in elections, the party had rebranded itself as the Social Democratic Party. It faded into irrelevance.
The lesson is clear: When a party abandons its ideological roots, it risks collapse. The Democratic Party of Korea, under Lee’s leadership, may now be heading down the same path.
Lee Jae-myung’s future is anything but certain. Legal jeopardy could disqualify him. Internal divisions could unseat him. And ideological drift could hollow out the movement he claims to lead.
For foreign observers, Korean politics is bewildering. But for Koreans– and their allies – it is more than just domestic turmoil. It is a test of stability in one of the world’s most volatile geopolitical regions.
Hanjin Lew is a former international spokesman for South Korean conservative parties.