In Lee Mun-yeol's novel 'Our Twisted Heroes,' Eom Seok-dae was the 'hero' of elementary school. He never lost his first place, was good at fighting, and was even big in size. 

He controlled the classroom as a being possessing both academic achievement and physical strength. The problem was that this respect was not earned through fair effort, but was the product of secret corruption and tacit approval. 

When the grade changed and he faced a public examination, the 'hero's' authority was utterly shattered. At that moment, the reader realizes that the birth of the hero was not the result of fairness, but a product of a twisted process.

This scene reminds us of today's political reality. Elections are the test for democracy. Their results must be respected as the collective choice of the people. At the same time, politics and administration after the election must also bear the weight of that choice. Democracy is maintained healthily when these two elements align well.

The controversy surrounding the current government begins at this very point. We cannot find representative democracy in the ineffectiveness of policy operations and the inexperience in state management revealed since its inception, and in the ways it undermines liberal democracy. 

There are too many unexplained gaps for this to be seen as a fair choice by our wise citizens. At this point, we confront the image of Eom Seok-dae in 'Our Twisted Heroes,' who could not prove his abilities on a public examination.

Our suspicions of electoral fraud are still easily sealed with the label of 'conspiracy theory.' However, this is an issue that even figures from the progressive camp in the past have publicly raised, and it is clear that it is not a matter that can simply be swept under the rug based on circumstantial evidence, material evidence, and statistical data alone. In liberal democracy, doubt is the starting point towards truth, but blind conviction is the curtain that blocks that path.

'Twisted Hero' collapsed in the public examination, but true authority gains greater strength before fair procedures and transparent evaluations. Elections and politics are no different. If there are public doubts and questions, it is natural to respond with verification rather than silencing them.

A true hero is completed not in a backroom, but on a transparent examination. What we need now is not a weary silence, but public questions and verification. That process is the true face of democracy.

Political Documentary Writer & Spokesperson for the Incheon City Chapter of the People Power Party 

◆ Writer Min Byung-gon 

Current) Political Documentary Writer 

Current) Spokesperson for the Incheon City Chapter of the People Power Party