The Tamesis
March 25, 2026
Seoul – Let’s assume we live in a democratic society. However, what if this is just an illusion, and we actually live in an authoritarian, totalitarian society where democracy is falling apart? In fact, we are now witnessing a worldwide crisis of democracy.
Recently, political science scholars have diagnosed the decline of democracy as a global phenomenon. They believe that what has threatened and destroyed democracy in the past has been either military coups or tyranny. Yet today, they say, before we know it, democracy is quietly declining, even under legitimately elected governments.
So, what factors contribute to the decline of today’s democracies? In his book “The Crisis of Democracy”, Li Weixiong pointed out that today’s democracy is threatened by socialism, populism, polarization, ideological brainwashing, teachers’ unions and government debt. By this definition, democracy is fragile in any country divided by competing ideologies or governed by leaders who adopt political or economic populism.
Some experts believe that the reasons for the recent collapse of South Korean democracy include extremism, the rule of law, opacity, political retaliation, election manipulation, and fabricated data to deceive the public. Others added: no separation of powers, weakening the independence of the judiciary, manipulating parliament and pursuing a one-party system by ignoring or eliminating opposition parties.
The reality is that we now live in a polarized society, where extremism is rampant and democracy is deteriorating and disappearing. We also live in a deceitful and vindictive society, where fake news and lies are everywhere, and political grudges are constantly being repeated. In such a society we suffer from a “rule of law” that denounces democracy. We know that the “rule of law” actually means politicians using legislation as a tool of political revenge and control.
The problem is that the crisis of democracy is so subtle and secret that we don’t even realize it until it completely destroys our country. In the US TV series Homeland, US President Elizabeth Keene addresses the American people. “When we think of democracies dying, we think of revolutions, military coups, armed men in the streets,” she said. “But that’s happening less and less. Now, when we don’t pay attention, when we don’t pay attention, democracy dies. And the end rarely comes in a flash, but slowly, like dusk. At first, our eyes don’t notice.”
As Keane says, people don’t notice this, even though democracy is dying in their countries. In fact, we fail to realize this, even though our political leaders defy democracy to control the people and remain in power. We don’t feel the crisis because it happens in subtle and unobtrusive ways, and because we elect our politicians through fair elections.
Indeed, democracy can be threatened by many factors. There is no doubt that populism is one of them. In order to mobilize supporters, political leaders have always used populism to undermine democracy. Both left- and right-wing populism can cause irreparable damage to the foundations of democracy. For example, left-wing populism may harness “people power” for political gain, confront economic elites, and distribute money in the name of social justice, harming not only a country’s economy but also its democracy.
Right-wing populism may also contribute to the decline of democracy by pursuing extreme nationalism. Political commentators note that right-wing populism often targets cultural elites and ethnic minorities, whom they believe stand in the way of a monocultural and homogeneous national identity.
Of course, democracy has its own shortcomings. For example, democratic “majority rule” may end up becoming another type of dictatorship by suppressing minority rights, even though it is the cornerstone of democratic decision-making. It may also help elect dictators or incompetent political leaders because voters may be irrational or ignorant and therefore easily manipulated by propaganda. Democracy can also inadvertently create extreme divisions, polarization and chaos because it allows for different opinions and factions.
However, democracy remains our best option because the opposite of democracy is tyranny or dictatorship. Unfortunately, now we have many dictators who pretend to be democratic leaders because they are elected through free and fair elections guaranteed by democracy.
Perhaps this is why some political commentators have expressed the pessimistic view that democracy has now reached its end. When democracy is threatened, we are likely to end up living in an authoritarian society. We will not let it happen because we cannot leave such a suffocating society to our children. If democracy has exhausted its possibilities, we should revive and replenish it, then protect and defend it.
Looking at the unprecedented crisis of democracy, we cannot help but worry about the future of mankind. What kind of world will be waiting for us in the future? We can only hope that this is a democratic world, not a world of authoritarianism or totalitarianism wearing the mask of democracy.
Kim Sung-geun
Kim Seong-kon is Professor Emeritus of English at Seoul National University and a visiting scholar at Dartmouth College. The views expressed here are the author’s own. — Ed
