South Korea judged to be a ”flawed democracy”

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), an economic analysis organization attached to the British current affairs weekly magazine The Economist, released a report on the maturity of democracies in each country on the 27th of last month (local time).
The EIU released its Democracy Index 2024. South Korea dropped 10 places from last year's ranking to 32nd, placing it in the "flawed democracy" category. The EIU revised South Korea's score downward.
The reason given for the revision was "the declaration of emergency martial law by President Yoon Seok-yeol and the subsequent political deadlock."
Since 2006, the EIU has scored 167 countries on the level of democratic development, assessing them in five areas. A score of 8.01 or above is considered a "perfect" score.
A score of 6.01 to 8 is classified as a "flawed democracy," a score of 4.01 to 6 is classified as a "mixed democratic-authoritarian political system," and a score of 4 or less is classified as an "authoritarian regime."
In the 2024 assessment, South Korea will receive a score of 7.75, down from 8.09 in 2023, dropping it from a "full democracy" to a "flawed democracy."
The global average was 5.17 points, the lowest since the evaluation began in 2006. Norway came in first with 9.81 points.
China (9.61 points) and Sweden (9.39 points) were the top three. Taiwan was the highest ranked Asian country at 12th place (8.78 points), and no Asian country made it into the top 10. Japan was ranked 16th with 8.48 points.
Meanwhile, the United States, which ranked 28th, moved up one place from the previous year, but with a score of 7.85, was ranked as a "flawed democracy," just like South Korea.
South Korea was one of 10 countries whose scores dropped significantly from the previous year, and the EIU said in its report that "South Korea's fluctuating
The article was headlined, "Democracy." In South Korea, President Yoon declared "emergency martial law" in December last year. Emergency martial law is a type of martial law stipulated in the South Korean Constitution. In times of war or other emergency situations, military
Martial law can be issued by the president when necessary or to maintain public order. The military takes control of executive and judicial functions and can restrict freedom of speech, press, and association.
This was the first time since democratization in 1987. Following the declaration, armed soldiers of the martial law army broke the windows and stormed into the National Assembly building. Many citizens gathered in front of the National Assembly in a scene reminiscent of the military regime.
They gathered, shouted slogans against martial law, and surrounded military vehicles, causing chaos. However, martial law is lifted only when a majority of members of the National Assembly request it, and the president must comply with this request.
Immediately after the declaration, a plenary session of the National Assembly was held and all members in attendance voted in favor of lifting the state of emergency. Yoon lifted the state of emergency after just six hours.
Although the "emergency martial law" suddenly declared by Yoon was lifted early, the situation in Korean society
The Democratic Party and other opposition parties have accused Yoon of "attempting to suspend the constitutional order and seizing permanent power through an attempted civil war," among other things.
The government submitted a motion to impeach Yoon to the National Assembly, pointing out that he violated the Constitution. A vote was held in December last year, and the motion passed with 204 votes in favor and 85 against. Yoon was subsequently suspended from his duties and is currently serving as the head of the National Assembly.
Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Minister of Strategy and Finance Jae Sang-mok is acting as president. With the passage of the bill, the Constitutional Court will decide within six months whether to impeach or reinstate Yoon.
If he is exonerated, a presidential election will be held within 60 days. In its report, the EIU noted Yoon's declaration of emergency martial law and the subsequent political turmoil. "This event is a grave threat to South Korea's democracy (since 1980)," the report said.
"It reminded us of the relatively short history of South Korea's 37-year history (after 7 years of democratization) and its relative fragility," he said.
"The impact will be to increase division and tension among the National Assembly and the public, which could continue into 2025. This could further exacerbate public dissatisfaction with South Korean democracy.
"There is a risk that the situation will worsen," he said. Rallies by both proponents and opponents of impeachment of Yoon have been held in succession across the country, deepening the division of public opinion. The Constitutional Court of South Korea is expected to decide whether to impeach Yoon in the middle of this month.
A decision is expected to be made on whether to impeach him or not.