Addressing Illiberalism, Polarization, and Democratic Decay: Lessons from South Korea East Asia Hotspots

South Korea, like other democracies worldwide, is facing a variety of internal and external threats to democratic processes and values, from growing illiberalism to seemingly intractable political polarization. South Korea's recent presidential election was particularly divisive, with Mr. Suk-yeol Yoon winning the election by less than 1%. To explore the topic of "democratic decay" and its implications for South Korea, we speak with Dr. Gi-Wook Shin, the William J. Perry Professor of Contemporary Korea and founding director of the Korea Program at Stanford University.
 
Gi-Wook Shin is the director of the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center; the William J. Perry Professor of Contemporary Korea; the founding director of the Korea Program, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in May; a senior fellow of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; and a professor of sociology, all at Stanford University. As a historical-comparative and political sociologist, his research has concentrated on social movements, nationalism, development, and international relations. Dr. Shin is the author/editor of more than twenty books and numerous articles. His recent books include The North Korean Conundrum: Balancing Human Rights and Nuclear Security (2021) and Demographics and Innovation in the Asia-Pacific (2021). He has a forthcoming book, edited with Ho-Ki Kim, on South Korea’s Democracy in Crisis: The Threats of Illiberalism, Populism, and Polarization. Dr. Shin is now working on a new research initiative seeking to examine potential benefits of talent flows in the Asia-Pacific region, where countries, cities, and corporations have competed with one another to enhance their stock of "brain power" by drawing on the skills of both their own citizens and those of foreigners.