Populism at the Cost of Freedom: A Structural and Philosophical Inquiry into South Korea's Economic Policies

“Populism at the Cost of Freedom: A Structural and Philosophical Inquiry into South Korea’s Economic Policies” offers an interdisciplinary investigation into how populist economic policies in South Korea are reshaping the nation’s fiscal health, democratic structures, and philosophical foundations of freedom. Integrating political science, economics, psychology, and philosophy, this study critically analyzes the mechanisms through which policies such as universal cash payments, local currency issuance, and price controls—promoted under the rhetoric of “government for the people”—undermine fiscal soundness, weaken institutional trust, and redefine freedom as state-distributed entitlements rather than autonomous agency. Through empirical data, international case comparisons, and philosophical interpretation, the paper exposes how South Korea’s populist trajectory mirrors patterns observed in Latin America, Europe, and other advanced economies, leading toward intergenerational inequity, democratic fatigue, and long-term structural decline. Key contributions of the study include a theoretical synthesis of populism’s political, economic, and psychological dimensions; empirical simulations projecting fiscal and economic outcomes through 2035; and a comprehensive policy reform roadmap proposing fiscal rule enactments, institutional redesign, and democratic safeguards. The analysis draws on the works of Isaiah Berlin, Erich Fromm, Emmanuel Levinas, and other philosophical figures to argue that populism co-opts the language of freedom while hollowing out its ethical and ontological substance. This paper serves as both an academic inquiry and a policy-oriented critique, aiming to provide a framework for restoring liberal democracy, fiscal sustainability, and civic responsibility in South Korea. Written independently without affiliation to political parties or organizations, it seeks to inform policymakers, scholars, and civic readers concerned with the long-term health of democratic governance and economic policy.