South Koreans just elected liberal candidate Lee Jae-myung as their new president. The outcome was unsurprising given the chaos sparked by the former president’s declaration of martial law last December, but it wasn’t the landslide victory many had anticipated. After mass protests and a presidential impeachment, why wasn’t the election a sweep for Lee? In a new Journal of Democracy online exclusive, Gi-Wook Shin explains what this outcome means for South Korea’s polarized democracy, and what we can expect from the new president.
The Journal of Democracy essays below, free for a limited time, highlight the strength of South Korea’s democratic foundation but also its deepening partisan divides.
Is South Korea’s New President Good for Democracy?
South Koreans have elected Lee Jae-myung president. Will he be a pragmatic democratic reformer? Or will he continue the polarizing political warfare of recent South Korean leaders?
Gi-Wook ShinHow South Korea’s Next Leader Should Handle Kim Jong-un
South Korea is about to elect a new president. North Korea has changed in recent years. Seoul’s approach to the Kim regime must change to reflect new risks — and Korea’s democratic strength.
Sheena Chestnut GreitensThe Perils of South Korean Democracy
When South Korea’s president declared martial law last December, he shocked the country and sparked a political crisis that laid bare deep-seated divisions. Can Korean democracy overcome the nationalist polarization that has always defined it?
Joan E. Cho and Aram HurWhat Happened to South Korea’s Democracy?
The quick reversal of President Yoon’s martial-law order is being celebrated as a democratic victory. But the problems run deeper than one man. What comes next?
Gi-Wook ShinSouth Korea’s Democratic Decay
Although South Korea is praised for its success at fighting covid-19, the triumph came at a cost to rights and privacy, and is drawing attention away from a larger drift toward illiberalism and bitterly factionalized politics.
Gi-Wook ShinSouth Korea After Impeachment
After a presidential corruption scandal sparked peaceful mass protests leading to the impeachment and removal of the incumbent, South Koreans went to the polls to choose her successor. Was this drama a window on the troubles of South Korean democracy, or a testament to its strength and resilience?
Gi-Wook Shin and Rennie J. Moon
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Image credit: Woohae Cho/Getty Images