[News 25]
◀ Anchor ▶
Reports from overseas research institutions indicating that democracy in South Korea is regressing are becoming frequent.
Last month, a British institution’s democratic evaluation ranked South Korea 32nd, a drop of ten places.
Recently, a report released by Sweden’s University of Gothenburg categorized South Korea as having been downgraded from a ‘liberal democracy’ to an ‘electoral democracy.’
The report specifically noted that since the inception of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, “dictatorship is advancing in South Korea.”
Reported by Kim Min-chan in Berlin.
◀ Report ▶
Here is this year’s report from the Swedish Institute for Democracy and Diversity.
The report, along with photos of impeachment protests, assessed that democracy in South Korea has significantly regressed.
Until last year, South Korea was included as a ‘liberal democracy,’ which is the highest level of democracy.
However, within a year, it was downgraded to the lower level of ‘electoral democracy.’
While electoral democracy ensures elections and the right to participate, and freedom of expression, the report indicated that judicial and legislative control over the executive, a hallmark of liberal democracy, and equality before the law are not ensured in South Korea.
More alarming is the assessment that South Korea is undergoing a process of re-dictatorship.
South Korea was labeled as a ‘Bell-turn’ dictatorship state—where democratization was achieved but regressed, re-dictatorship advancing within five years.
The report cited President Yoon Suk-yeol’s abuse of power as a reason.
The oppression of previous government officials and initiatives like the abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, adversely affecting gender equality, were noted as contributing to the decline in Korean democracy.
The overall ranking has also plummeted.
In 2022, just before the Yoon administration, South Korea’s overall democracy ranking was 17th, but it has now fallen to 41st.
The ‘deliberative democracy index,’ which assesses policy transparency and the extent of discussions with opposition or dissenting groups, plummeted to 48th place.
Reporting from Berlin, this has been Kim Min-chan for MBC News.
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