Sweden's University of Gothenburg V-Dem Institute for Democracy Diversity
Evaluates 179 Countries in the 'Democracy Report 2025'
"South Korea Classified as Electoral Democracy... Autocratization Ongoing"
As political turmoil continued due to the December 3 emergency martial law situation, South Korea's democracy indicators were found to have regressed by one level. On the 16th, Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that "the V-Dem Institute for Democracy Diversity at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden classified South Korea as 'electoral democracy,' one step below its previous classification of 'liberal democracy,' in the 'Democracy Report 2025' released on the 13th (local time)."
On the 15th, pro and con rallies for the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol are being held in various parts of Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
The institute classifies political systems in 179 countries worldwide into four levels: liberal democracy, electoral democracy, electoral autocracy, and closed autocratic regimes. Electoral democracy refers to a system where free and fair multiparty elections, satisfactory levels of suffrage, freedom of expression, and freedom of association are guaranteed. To be classified as liberal democracy, additional criteria such as judicial and legislative control over the executive branch, protection of civil liberties, and equality before the law must be met.
In the report, South Korea was classified as a liberal democracy until one year ago. However, even then, it was first introduced as a country undergoing autocratization. In this report, South Korea was downgraded to an electoral democracy and was still analyzed as a country where autocratization is ongoing. It was also mentioned alongside Hungary, Moldova, and Romania as countries where freedom of expression, including the press, has significantly declined.
However, the researchers viewed democracy worldwide as being in crisis. The number of countries and regions led by authoritarian regimes was analyzed to be 91, surpassing the number of democratic countries (88) for the first time in 22 years. In particular, autocratization progressed in influential populous regions such as South Korea, Argentina, India, and Indonesia, and democratic backsliding was notable in Eastern European countries such as Belarus, Hungary, and Serbia. On the other hand, Denmark was analyzed as having the highest liberal democracy index, followed by Estonia, Switzerland, and Sweden, with the United States ranked 24th and Japan 27th.
The researchers stated, "Misinformation, political polarization, and autocratization often proceed together and reinforce each other," adding, "Autocratic governments deliberately amplify negative emotions, create distrust within society, and use misinformation to fuel polarization."
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