Suchergebnisse

It is evident from the literature that political polarization has played a role in facilitating voter participation. While high participation in a representative democracy is beneficial, it becomes dangerous when this results from intense polarization. This is because polarization has a greater potential to undermine the principles of democratic pluralism. With data from the 21st Korean general assembly, I find that independent voters consider political issues to be important cues for participation even under extreme polarization. Short-term issues such as the government response to COVID-19 that have largely been the concern of independent voters, have had a significant effect on voter participation, and the evaluation of party nominations has also had an impact on turnout among independents. These findings show that Korean democracy has not been completely buried under the influence of polarization and that the political process of representative democracy in Korea is still operating normally thanks to the existence of independent voters.

"South Korea has been through important changes since its democratization in the late 1980s, most recently in 2016-17 when the candlelight protests led to the ousting of Park Geun-hye and the election of Moon Jae-in. Taking a thematic approach to understanding South Korean democracy, each chapter in this textbook is written by a leading Korean expert on a different element of South Korean politics and government. Covering themes such as inter-generational differences, the instability of the party system, the role of the president, and the impact of the 2016 demonstrations, this is a vital and lively introduction to Korean politics. This systematic and nuanced approach helps you to understand the past, present and possible futures of South Korea's democracy. It also helps in understanding South Korea's system for the purposes of comparing it with other political systems"--