By Kim Sang-woo
In the past few years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, democracy has deteriorated across the world, reflected in the erosion of electoral processes, political participation, democratic political cultures and civil liberties. The Economist Intelligence Unit's index says 2020 was the worst year since 2006 due to the pandemic causing regression in 80 countries.
But despite this worrying trend, democracy and respect for human rights actually improved in a number of places, and not all setbacks equate to democratic backsliding. Democratization develops in stages which creates uncertainty, but there is a clear difference between this and true threats to democracy itself.
Democratic backsliding differs by nation, but the three priority areas to counter democratic backsliding are civil society institutional building, reinforcing the importance of community education and supporting the media.
Alarmingly, in this regard, on Aug. 19, South Korea's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly, led by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), approved a revision to a media law that could heavily penalize news organizations.
All local journalist organizations condemned the committee's approval and said in a joint statement that the amendment leaves room for "unclear, arbitrary interpretations" of what constitutes inaccurate reporting or misrepresentation of public figures. The revision "paves the way for easy control over the media," journalists said.
The Korean Bar Association issued a statement that said the law discourages journalists from publishing articles critical of the government. The watchdog role of the media will "inevitably shrink," the group said.
Outside Korea, the World Association of News Publishers called the law the "kind of regulation, promoted by some of the world's most authoritarian regimes." The International Press Institute's Deputy Director Scott Griffin said "at a time when authoritarian governments are increasingly adopting so-called fake news laws to stifle criticism, it is disappointing to see a democratic country like South Korea follow this negative trend," and "in introducing severe punishments based on highly vague concepts, this proposed law poses a clear threat to press freedom. We urge South Korean lawmakers to withdraw it."
The new penalties would apply to media outlets that "intentionally" publish false information and where a complainant claims to have suffered harm. However, critics note that the criteria for determining "intention" is vague, and the bill could be used to silence critical reporting of those in power, particularly ahead of the presidential election next March, thus endangering press freedom in South Korea.
Experts have also pointed out fake news and defamation are already covered in South Korea's existing civil and criminal laws and this bill could be a violation of the Constitution.
Kim Dong-hoon, president of the Journalists Association of Korea, said, "The punitive damages system being pushed by the ruling party is bad law and will undermine Korea's freedom of the press."
Nevertheless, despite all these oppositions and concerns, the DPK is determined to push the bill through at a plenary session of the National Assembly, where its members hold a huge majority.
Accountability is a fundamental pillar of a working democratic system, so a free and fair media is invaluable. Countries can easily slip into populist extremism and democratic backsliding when the media is unable to fulfill this role. The causes of censorship and repression are surging, painting a worrying picture of the intense pressure under which freedom of expression is currently operating.
Will we witness the backsliding of Korean democracy ― the hard-earned achievement of the Korean people? Will they answer to this very important question through their votes at the next presidential election next March? The future of Korean democracy is at the crossroads.
Democracy is not a linear process. It requires vigilant support and continuous development. However, Korean politics have become so partisan that there appears to be little room for compromise through dialogue. And the same applies to supporters of both sides.
Therefore, it's not so strange that young people's faith in democratic politics is low and millennials are more disillusioned with democracy and the way it's working.
And, a key element in relation to democratic backsliding is young people's mistrust of and disinterest in democracy, with low voter turnout and a higher tendency to support populist candidates often seen as symptoms of democratic apathy.
However, the landslide victory of the People Power Party at the mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan in April, was with the overwhelming support of those in their 20s which suggests that young people are not disinterested in politics, and that their participation is actually crucial to addressing democratic backsliding.
They are creating new and interactive ways of engaging in politics by using social media. The strength of this approach is the presentation of important themes in accessible, interactive and appealing ways to successfully bridge the gap between intellectual information and a disengaged audience.
In a way, the protection of media freedoms and the development of new forms of communication, facilitate the spread of information, increase young people's understanding of democratic principles and make them aware of the reality of the political situation which will be indispensable in preventing Korean democracy from backsliding.
Korea, therefore, should draw on the undervalued potential that is the young people's democratic spirit to bridge the divide, try to unite the people and overcome partisan politics. And, if done in a proper manner, this will contribute greatly toward the further advancement of democracy in the country.
Kim Sang-woo (swkim54@hotmail.com), a former lawmaker, is chairman of the East Asia Cultural Project. He is also a member of the board of directors at the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation.
 |
But despite this worrying trend, democracy and respect for human rights actually improved in a number of places, and not all setbacks equate to democratic backsliding. Democratization develops in stages which creates uncertainty, but there is a clear difference between this and true threats to democracy itself.
Democratic backsliding differs by nation, but the three priority areas to counter democratic backsliding are civil society institutional building, reinforcing the importance of community education and supporting the media.
Alarmingly, in this regard, on Aug. 19, South Korea's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly, led by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), approved a revision to a media law that could heavily penalize news organizations.
All local journalist organizations condemned the committee's approval and said in a joint statement that the amendment leaves room for "unclear, arbitrary interpretations" of what constitutes inaccurate reporting or misrepresentation of public figures. The revision "paves the way for easy control over the media," journalists said.
The Korean Bar Association issued a statement that said the law discourages journalists from publishing articles critical of the government. The watchdog role of the media will "inevitably shrink," the group said.
Outside Korea, the World Association of News Publishers called the law the "kind of regulation, promoted by some of the world's most authoritarian regimes." The International Press Institute's Deputy Director Scott Griffin said "at a time when authoritarian governments are increasingly adopting so-called fake news laws to stifle criticism, it is disappointing to see a democratic country like South Korea follow this negative trend," and "in introducing severe punishments based on highly vague concepts, this proposed law poses a clear threat to press freedom. We urge South Korean lawmakers to withdraw it."
The new penalties would apply to media outlets that "intentionally" publish false information and where a complainant claims to have suffered harm. However, critics note that the criteria for determining "intention" is vague, and the bill could be used to silence critical reporting of those in power, particularly ahead of the presidential election next March, thus endangering press freedom in South Korea.
Experts have also pointed out fake news and defamation are already covered in South Korea's existing civil and criminal laws and this bill could be a violation of the Constitution.
Kim Dong-hoon, president of the Journalists Association of Korea, said, "The punitive damages system being pushed by the ruling party is bad law and will undermine Korea's freedom of the press."
Nevertheless, despite all these oppositions and concerns, the DPK is determined to push the bill through at a plenary session of the National Assembly, where its members hold a huge majority.
Accountability is a fundamental pillar of a working democratic system, so a free and fair media is invaluable. Countries can easily slip into populist extremism and democratic backsliding when the media is unable to fulfill this role. The causes of censorship and repression are surging, painting a worrying picture of the intense pressure under which freedom of expression is currently operating.
Will we witness the backsliding of Korean democracy ― the hard-earned achievement of the Korean people? Will they answer to this very important question through their votes at the next presidential election next March? The future of Korean democracy is at the crossroads.
Democracy is not a linear process. It requires vigilant support and continuous development. However, Korean politics have become so partisan that there appears to be little room for compromise through dialogue. And the same applies to supporters of both sides.
Therefore, it's not so strange that young people's faith in democratic politics is low and millennials are more disillusioned with democracy and the way it's working.
And, a key element in relation to democratic backsliding is young people's mistrust of and disinterest in democracy, with low voter turnout and a higher tendency to support populist candidates often seen as symptoms of democratic apathy.
However, the landslide victory of the People Power Party at the mayoral by-elections in Seoul and Busan in April, was with the overwhelming support of those in their 20s which suggests that young people are not disinterested in politics, and that their participation is actually crucial to addressing democratic backsliding.
They are creating new and interactive ways of engaging in politics by using social media. The strength of this approach is the presentation of important themes in accessible, interactive and appealing ways to successfully bridge the gap between intellectual information and a disengaged audience.
In a way, the protection of media freedoms and the development of new forms of communication, facilitate the spread of information, increase young people's understanding of democratic principles and make them aware of the reality of the political situation which will be indispensable in preventing Korean democracy from backsliding.
Korea, therefore, should draw on the undervalued potential that is the young people's democratic spirit to bridge the divide, try to unite the people and overcome partisan politics. And, if done in a proper manner, this will contribute greatly toward the further advancement of democracy in the country.
Kim Sang-woo (swkim54@hotmail.com), a former lawmaker, is chairman of the East Asia Cultural Project. He is also a member of the board of directors at the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation.
