Aftermath of Yoon Seok-yeol's Martial Law... South Korea's Democracy Maturity Drops 10 Ranks

EIU Annual Report: South Korea Ranks 32nd in Democracy Index
Also Listed Among Bottom 10 Countries with Largest Decline
Side by Side with Bangladesh for 'Election Fraud and Political Instability'

South Korea was included among the top 10 countries with the largest decline in democracy compared to the previous year in the "Democracy Index 2024" report released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Data: EIU

South Korea dropped 10 places in the democracy level evaluation conducted across 167 countries worldwide. This decline was due to lower scores in government functioning and political culture compared to the previous year, following President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law. South Korea was also dishonorably included among the bottom 10 countries with the largest democratic backsliding compared to the previous year, alongside countries like Bangladesh and Tunisia, where election fraud and political instability are widespread.

According to the 'Democracy Index 2024' released on the 27th (local time) by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the economic analysis division of the British weekly magazine The Economist, South Korea ranked 32nd. In the 2023 evaluation, it had risen 2 places from the previous year, but last year it fell by 10 places. Since 2006, the EIU has assessed 167 countries across five categories to calculate democracy development scores.

South Korea scored 7.75 out of 10 in the overall evaluation, down from 8.09 points (22nd place) in 2023. The 7.75 points is the lowest score South Korea has received since the EIU began calculating the index in 2006. Consequently, South Korea moved from the 'full democracy' group, which it had been part of for four consecutive years since 2020, to the 'flawed democracy' group.

The decline in democracy evaluation was significantly influenced by President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of emergency martial law on the night of December 3 last year. The subsequent prolonged political deadlock also contributed to the score reduction. South Korea's government functioning score dropped sharply from 8.57 to 7.22, and political culture fell from 6.25 to 5.63 compared to the previous year. The other three categories (electoral process and pluralism, political participation, and civil liberties) remained unchanged. The EIU noted in its report that "the aftermath of President Yoon's attempt to declare martial law heightened polarization and tensions in the parliament and among the public, which is likely to continue into 2025," and warned that "public dissatisfaction with democracy in South Korea may increase."

South Korea was also included among the top 10 countries with the greatest democratic backsliding. It fell more than Jamaica (10th place), ranking 9th from the bottom. This group includes Bangladesh, Tunisia, Kuwait, Georgia, Qatar, Romania, Guinea-Bissau, and Pakistan. Most of these are Eastern European and Middle Eastern countries, with some developing Asian countries included. These countries have reported many anti-democratic incidents such as election fraud and suppression of opposition forces by ruling powers.

The global average score was 5.17 points, marking the lowest since 2006 for the second consecutive year. The highest score was 5.55 points in 2015. Only 6.6% of the world's population lives in the 25 countries classified as 'full democracies,' a significant decrease from 12.5% ten years ago, and it was estimated that two out of every five people worldwide live under authoritarian regimes. The EIU pointed out that although there were many elections worldwide last year, there were numerous incidents such as violent elections in Pakistan, Vladimir Putin's 'fake elections' in Russia, and outright election cancellations in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Qatar.

The EIU commented on the United States, stating, "This year may face bigger challenges," and noted that "President Donald Trump challenged the political independence of civil servants in the first month of his second term and issued a flood of executive orders with questionable legal authority." The institute also said, "Trump's election was part of a global backlash against established regimes," and predicted, "The next test for global democracy in 2025 will be how newly elected leaders govern."

North Korea maintained its ranking at 165th, third from the bottom, with the same score of 1.08 as last year. Only two countries scored lower than North Korea: Myanmar (0.96 points) and Afghanistan (0.25 points).