President Lee Jae-myung passes by National Assembly members from the People Power Party staging a protest as he arrives at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on November 4 to deliver his policy speech for the upcoming government budget. The People Power Party lawmakers protested the prosecution's request for an arrest warrant for former Floor Leader Choo Kyung-ho, demanding an end to the suppression of the opposition party. 2025.11.4 [National Assembly Photo Journalists Association] / Yonhap News 

President Lee Jae-myung's policy speech was less a vision for governance and more a monologue of self-affirmation. He stated, "I poured my soul into it." However, that soul was filled not with dedication, but with confirmation bias. Sentences like "Resolution of Korea-US tariff negotiations," "Progress in nuclear submarine consultations," and "Full restoration of Korea-China relations" are not objectively proven facts.

The United States stated that negotiations are still ongoing, the issue of nuclear submarine propulsion fuel remains in the discussion initiation phase, and mutual distrust has not been resolved in Korea-China relations. Despite this, the President declared them all as 'achievements.' This was not mere rhetoric but a dangerous distortion that transformed reality into the language of belief.

When a political leader declares what they believe to be 'fact,' the foundation of governance begins to shake. When the president's words are translated into policy without undergoing verification of truth, the state degenerates into a structure of self-suggestion rather than governance.

This speech was a prime example. He packaged diplomatic uncertainties and economic risks as completed achievements and verbalized ongoing matters as 'resolved.' The moment language replaces facts, governance becomes distorted. And it becomes a lie.

This is not the first time President Lee Jae-myung has engaged in 'word changes' and factual distortions. In the presidential debate on February 21, 2022, he asserted, "The possibility of us becoming a reserve currency country is very high," and stated, "While the IMF deems it appropriate to maintain a national debt-to-GDP ratio of up to 85%, we are still at around 50%."

However, fiscal and international finance experts pointed out that these were groundless remarks, stating, "No international organization has ever mentioned the possibility of South Korea becoming a reserve currency." This remains an example that demonstrated the candidate's economic perception was detached from reality.

Furthermore, regarding the Daejangdong scandal, he claimed, "I have never played golf with former director Kim Moon-ki," but the court ruled this as a 'false statement that could distort the public's right to know for the purpose of election.' The court explicitly stated, "Mr. Kim Moon-ki was an employee of the Seongnam Development Corporation and an individual whose personnel decision was personally approved by the defendant, and it has been confirmed by video that they played golf together." President Lee Jae-myung's statement was confirmed not as a simple oversight but as a falsehood that deceived the public during the election process.

These linguistic habits have expanded from personal tendencies to a philosophy of power operation. The president's words act as a stronger signal than executive orders. Markets, diplomacy, national defense, and the bureaucracy move based on that language. However, if that language is based on unverified conviction, the entire government stands on an illusion.

The current governance is passing through that dangerous turning point. When the president speaks, reality must follow, and when the media points out issues, it is labeled as 'political maneuvering.' All these phenomena are the result of confirmation bias being institutionalized.

The bigger problem is that the safety mechanisms to correct such distortions have completely disappeared. The power structure of a democracy is predicated on checks and balances. When the president makes exaggerated statements, aides should advise, the ruling party should verify, and the media should confirm the facts.

However, under the Lee Jae-myung administration, those brakes are not working. Aides chose compliance over criticism, the ruling party chose agreement over checks, and the media chose silence over questions. As a result, the president's words become the facts of governance, and beliefs translate into national policy.

There are no safety mechanisms in the power structure of the Lee Jae-myung administration. That is the greatest risk facing South Korea today. Power crumbles not when it corrupts, but when it is not corrected.

The more lies are repeated, the more trust erodes, and the more conviction replaces correction, the more the nation loses its direction. The current administration is building a fortress of self-affirmation by replacing criticism with slander and checks with obstruction. Within that fortress, the president's language continues to distort reality, and the public grows increasingly weary.

Politics only functions when errors are acknowledged and corrected.

However, this administration has abandoned that process. When the president lies, governance is distorted, and when language replaces facts, democracy becomes ill. Power filled with confirmation bias cannot correct itself and ultimately destroys itself. What is needed now is not the suppression of criticism, but the restoration of checks and balances. Unless the falsehoods are acknowledged and the system is rebuilt, the nation cannot escape this swamp of confirmation bias. That is the harsh reality we must face today.

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