"Progressing Dictatorship" "Flawed Democracy" The Aftermath of Martial Law Reflected in Evaluations [Retreating Democracy]

②International Assessments of South Korean Democracy
UK EIU: "Political Polarization Deepening"
South Korea's Short Democratic History Reveals Vulnerability
V-Dem: "Country Undergoing Autocratization for Two Consecutive Years"

International research institution reports indicating a decline in democracy in South Korea commonly reflect the adverse impact of the December 3 emergency martial law incident on politics and society.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), an economic analysis organization affiliated with the UK-based The Economist, assessed that democracy in South Korea is regressing through its announcement of the "2024 Democracy Index." South Korea scored 7.75 out of 10 on the EIU index, the lowest score since the index was first calculated in 2006. Its ranking also dropped ten places from 22nd (8.09 points) in 2023 to 32nd. As a result, South Korea was classified not as a "full democracy" (countries scoring 8 or above) but as a "flawed democracy."

The emergency martial law incident was identified as a major factor in the democratic backslide. The EIU report stated, "The aftermath of the martial law incident has caused severe political polarization and tension between the National Assembly and the public," and pointed out that "the courts are increasingly intervening in politics, and the law is being used as a tool to attack political opponents." It also warned, "Public dissatisfaction with South Korean democracy may grow further," predicting that "the repercussions of the attempted martial law declaration will continue through this year."

The EIU mentioned that the martial law declaration served as a reminder of South Korea's relatively short democratic history (37 years) and its relative vulnerability. The EIU added, "President Yoon Suk-yeol's attempt to declare martial law exposed institutional and behavioral weaknesses in South Korea's political system," noting that "deep-rooted hostility between political parties and the absence of compromise have made the political system far more unstable than it appears externally. Extreme polarization further increases the risk of political violence and social unrest."

The V-Dem Institute (Varieties of Democracy), affiliated with the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, which has analyzed democracy levels worldwide since 1789, classified South Korea as an electoral democracy, one step below liberal democracy.

The institute categorizes countries' democracy levels into four stages: liberal democracy, electoral democracy, electoral autocracy, and closed autocratic states. Electoral democracy is achieved when free and fair elections are guaranteed through various institutional elements such as freedom of association and freedom of expression. To be classified as a liberal democracy, additional protections for individual freedoms and checks and balances among institutions are required. South Korea was downgraded last year reflecting the impact of the emergency martial law incident.

Although South Korea's overall democracy ranking slightly improved from 47th to 41st last year, it has significantly declined over the past two years compared to its top-20 ranking until 2022 before the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office. Specifically, the average index score was 0.73 in 2022 when South Korea ranked 28th. The average scores were 0.60 in 2023 and 0.63 in 2024, showing consistently low figures. By category, compared to 2022, scores dropped last year in fair elections (0.81 → 0.73), liberalism (0.91 → 0.87), and deliberative democracy (0.84 → 0.81).

Based on the 2023 evaluation, the V-Dem Institute also described South Korea as a country undergoing democratization backsliding in its "2024 Democracy Report."