Project

SBS Cultural Foundation – SNU Institute for Future Strategy 'Rewriting Democracy'

Rewriting Democracy

I. Research Subject: Consisting of two parts as shown below.
1. "Political Reform for the Spread of Public Opinion Politics: Institutional Reform and Democratic Innovation" (hereinafter referred to as "Public Opinion Politics")
Conceptualizing the direction of renewal of the Korean political process as 'politics of public opinion' and propose the reform of the political system and the institutionalization of citizen participation as its institutional links.

2. "Civic Education for Sustainable Democracy" (hereinafter referred to as "Civic Education")
Setting the agenda for civic education as a mid- to long-term task to cultivate citizenship that supports democracy

II. Background and Issues
1. The Regression of Democracy and South Korea
Symptoms of 'backsliding' or 'crisis' of democracy are widely observed around the world. So-called advanced democracies such as the United States and Europe are no exception. Political polarization and exclusionary forms of identity politics are spreading, and a high level of distrust of representative democratic political processes such as parliament and political parties have been observed. In some countries, the neutrality of key political institutions such as the judiciary, prosecutors, and elections has been undermined, and control over the media and civil society has been strengthened.
Concerns about the current state of democracy in South Korea are also spreading. In the case of South Korea, it is difficult to see clear signs of crisis in the institutional links of democratic regression, such as freedom of the press or the independence of the judiciary. However, there are high levels of concern about distortion and bias in the political representation system, deepening economic and social inequality, high distrust of parliament and political parties amid faction politics and political polarization, and a distorted media ecosystem. The accumulated elements of inequality, structural vulnerability, and social conflict are amplified by the impact of the pandemic.

2. Political incompetence and the crisis of participation
The crux of the problem lies in the "incompetence of politics." At present, the political sphere is escalating conflicts rather than finding a point of contact and building a social consensus on a multitude of political, social, and economic challenges. A political process dominated by the logic of antagonism rather than competition leads to a vicious cycle in which extreme voices are overrepresented as major political actors and political parties complacently lean on fandom politics based on competition for clarity. It is a natural consequence that citizens' distrust of the political process is very high.
The current situation, which is divided into so-called 'institutional politics' and 'street politics', can be seen as an expression of accumulated dissatisfaction that the political representation system does not meet the demands and expectations of citizens. The frustration that the existing political process does not represent oneself is erupting in the online and offline space through exclusionary and violent forms of 'participation'. In particular, the synchrony phenomenon induced by the special dynamics of the online space and the echo chamber effect amplify extreme voices.
The result of the combination of "political incompetence" and "crisis of participation" is the disappearance of public opinion. Instead of gathering the wisdom of the members and finding a compromise through the political process, only forces and tactical considerations remain for victory in the fight. Citizens tend to be trapped in an exogenous frame without being provided with sufficient information, independent judgment grounds, and opportunities for discussion on issues.
Then, the key task for improving the constitution of Korean democracy is to convincingly present the need for "politics of public opinion" beyond "politics of public opinion" and to seek concrete ways to realize it. Second, there is the issue of civic education that fosters citizenship as the basis of a healthy democracy.

III. Public Politics and Civic Education
1. Political Reform to Spread Public Opinion Politics
The current problem is that the political sphere itself does not have enough incentive to actively improve the distorted and biased system of political representation and political processes. Concerns about fandom politics, political tribalism, and political polarization have become commonplace, but these problems do not inherently undermine the interests of the major political actors in the so-called "hostile symbiotic relationship."
In order to resolve this impasse and open the floodgates for reform, we should actively seek ways to drastically reform the political process. More specifically, we need to materialize innovative measures for the revitalization of 'politics of public opinion' and institutionalize them stably in the political process.
The first is the issue of institutional reform centered on party reform. Political parties in South Korea have long since been reduced to de facto "election camps." It is not a public party that has passed ideology and orientation, but more like a network of famous people. Although this is causing cynicism among the people, the normalization of the political process, in which political parties play a central role, is a key task for the functioning of representative government. To this end, key points in laws and systems, such as the Political Parties Act and the Election Act, should be selected and ways to improve them should be sought.
The second is an attempt at so-called "democratic innovation." Democratic innovation, in particular, seeks to reform the political process through the active participation of citizens and the institutionalization of deliberation. On the one hand, such citizen participation forums should be properly linked to the existing representative political processes such as political parties and the National Assembly, and on the other hand, with the public forum and civil society.
Through these two reforms, it is possible to promote the renewal of the entire political process. Both political institutional reform and democratic innovation are key pathways to institutionalize citizens' political interest and enthusiasm, leading to the competition of ideologies and visions. In other words, it can lead to a vibrant civil society—the institutionalization of citizen participation—the strengthening of political parties—and the restoration of the functions of the National Assembly, thus presenting a model of a virtuous cycle of public opinion politics.

2. Civic Education as the Foundation of Sustainable Democracy
While 'public opinion politics' focuses on political processes and institutions, 'civic education' deals with the other central pillar of the political process: the issue of citizenship.
However, as is widely known, the current pattern of 'participation' shows that extreme voices are overrepresented both online and offline, and the polarization between the highly involved and the apathetic class. It is difficult to find a spirit of respect, tolerance and compromise for the other side not only in politicians but also in citizens' political participation, and the dominance of factionalization, division, and demonization of the other side for the sake of victory.
'Democratic innovation' is also an important pathway to civic education. However, civic education is a very broad issue that needs to be looked at from a long-term perspective. It is necessary to consider the entire life cycle in terms of time, and spatially, it is not limited to the school, but is related to the living world and the workplace as a whole, and in terms of content, it is necessary to pay attention not only to the curriculum but also to the field of life.
Based on an in-depth analysis of the current state of civic education in Korea, it is necessary to present the principles and directions of civic education, and to systematically review domestic and foreign cases that can be actively referenced.

IV. Program Proposal and Research Plan
Consists of two sessions: 'Public Politics' and 'Civic Education'

"Political Reform for the Spread of Public Opinion: Institutional Reform and Democratic Innovation"
Responsible: Yoo Hong-rim, Park Won-ho, Jeon Jong-ik, Harness Mosler, Lee Sun-woo, Seo Hyun-soo, Kim Joo-hyung
(1) Diagnose the current situation of Korean democracy and present the concept and necessity of public opinion politics to set the direction for political process and institutional improvement (Yoo Hong-rim, Kim Joo-hyung)
(2) Proposals for the normalization of the political process, such as the Political Parties Act, the Election Act, the District Party Issue, and the Nomination System (Park Won-ho, Jeon Jong-ik, Harnes Mosler, Lee Sun-woo)
(3) Briefly introduce the concepts, types, and major cases of democratic innovation, and propose specific points to consider for successful institutionalization of citizen participation (Seo Hyun-soo, Kim Joo-hyung)

"Civic Education for Sustainable Democracy"
Responsible: Mo Kyung-hwan, Kim Myung-jung, Yoo Hong-rim, Seo Hyun-soo, Kim Joo-hyung, Harness Mosler
(1) Setting the agenda on the issue of citizenship as the foundation of democracy (Yoo Hong-rim, Mo Kyung-Hwan, Kim Joo-Hyung)
(2) Analysis of the current state of civic education in Korea and introduction of major overseas cases. Principles and development directions of civic education and specific proposals for implementing them (Mo Kyung-hwan, Kim Myung-jung, Seo Hyun-soo, Harness Mosler).
Considering that civic education is a very vast topic, it is possible to consider a method of expanding the discussion by focusing on 1~2 specific topics. For example, despite the lowering of the voting age to 18 years old, it diagnoses the problem that civic education for youth and young voters remains a big gap and suggests ways to improve it. New and interesting experiments in civic education that are being attempted in the field, such as interviews on civic education volunteer clubs for university students, etc., can also be considered.

Both sessions are actively considered to be strengthened through overseas coverage such as Germany and Finland.
Advice from Professor Harnes Mosler for Germany and Seo Hyun-soo for Finland