Democratic Party’s Homecoming in South Korea: Implications on Digital Policies – Sameer Gahlot

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*This article is originally published in the Asia Pacific Policy Observatory December 2024 Report.

Introduction

The genealogy of political parties in South Korea can be traced to the top-down and elite-driven political creations, not the Western-style multiple parties (as prevalent in the United Kingdom and East European countries) with a focus on coalition-building as well as personalities dominating the political landscape rather than political parties. Currently, the ruling People Power Party (PPP)––formerly known as the Unified Future Party––was formed with the merger of the Liberty Korea Party, New Conservative Party, and Onward for Future 4.0 or Future Forward Party, as well as several minor parties and political organizations as one of the conservatives parties. On the other hand, the Democratic Party (DP)––founded with the merger of the Democratic Justice Party and Unification Democratic Party––is one of the progressive parties with distinct ideological orientations and foreign policy preferences.

Election Overview and the lead up to Gladiator Politics

Before delving into the policies as well as priorities of distinct political parties in South Korea, it is pivotal to shed light on the Presidential and Legislative elections held in 2022 and 2024, respectively. During the 2022 Presidential elections, PPP won by a meager margin of 0.7% after securing votes from male voters in their 20s as well as female voters in their 20s and 30s, consequent to coalition government. In addition, the legislative elections in 2024 served as a clarion call and mid-term evaluation for the PPP administration, as the DP retained majority seats during the 22nd Legislative elections. 

During the 2022 20th Presidential Election, manifestos of the PPP, DP and the People Party – which later merged with the PPP, revolved around sustainable development, digital transformation, and healthcare. However, legislative elections were dominated by fierce competition between the DP, PPP, and other satellite parties, often referred to as gladiator politics.

To this effect, the victory of the Democratic Party in South Korea’s 22nd General Election in 2024 heralded a new transition in the political and digital policy directions of the nation. After four years of governance by the People Power Party, the resurgence of the Democratic Party has signaled a renewed commitment to progressive and innovative reforms, especially in the realm of digital transformation. Additionally, the formation of the Rebuilding Korea Party which was created saliently for opposing the Yoon administration and, more broadly, rebuilding South Korea’s socio-economic landscape.

The 2024 general elections acted as a decisive referendum on the People Power Party’s policies, especially its conservative approach to digital governance in support of the US & Japan and “inappropriate usage” of the draconian National Security Law which was widely criticized as a pretext to silence political opposition. The Democratic Party’s resurgence was not only a political success but also a clear public endorsement of its visionary agenda centered on addressing technological inequities, fostering innovation, and implementing robust regulatory frameworks to ensure sustainable growth in the digital economy.

AI Influence in Elections

The commitment of South Korea’s government is evident with the official designation of 24 June as e-Government Day in 2022 to raise public awareness of e-government through the revision of the Electronic Government Act. The National Election Commission (NEC) is an independent constitutional body in South Korea, responsible for ensuring free and fair elections, national referendums, and other administrative affairs concerning political parties and political funds. The 2022 presidential election focused on switching to a digital platform government from e-government to pre-empt people’s needs using AI technology based on big data and provide the corresponding services.

To this effect, AI-based virtual avatars using deep learning technology were used aggressively by candidates of all the parties. The advanced technological capability has made it difficult for the voters to differentiate a real politician from an AI talking head. Moreover, chatbots were used to reach people in all the nooks and corners of the country to address their grievances and communicate their priorities. Subsequently, during the legislative elections, the NEC banned the usage of election campaigns using deepfake technology by appropriate amendments in the Public Official Election Act with the establishment of the Election Broadcast Deliberative Committee. This clearly showcases their commitment to control misinformation and mitigate the negative impact of fake news.

The said amendment bans election-related deepfake videos, photos, and audio in the campaign period of 90 days before election day. Further, the violators can face up to seven years in prison or a fine of up to $37,500. The prohibited uses include virtual sounds, images, and videos that are ‘difficult to distinguish from reality’ created using AI technology, such as deepfakes. Even if one uses the technology by indicating that they are virtual and created using AI technology, it could be deemed a violation of the law. However, the use of AI-based technology is permitted for party primaries, voter participation solicitation, and reporting on legislative activities is permitted.

Chronicle and Transition to the Data Economy 

South Korea is traditionally an agricultural-based economy transitioned to one of the most advanced and innovative economies in the Asia Pacific region. The Ministry of Information and Communication was inaugurated by the then-President representing today’s DP, who led the first civilian government, for building high-speed information and communication infrastructure. To provide impetus to digital government, the e-Government Act came into force under the ruling of the opposition party leader to improve information in Korea for delivering public administration services. The major push for digitization came under the President Roh Moo-hyun administration who constituted the Presidential Committee on Government Innovation and Decentralisation as well as uplifted South Korea’s ranking in the UN E-Government Development Index from tenth to sixth by the end of 2008. The ranking was further improved and reached the world’s top place in 2010 for the first time.

The Ministry of Information and Communication was dismantled during the Lee Myung-bak administration with a focus on efficiency through the integration of government ministries and policies. Meanwhile, Park Geun-hye, who was also in the same party as the former president, established the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. This move reflected such changes in the policies were based on the President’s personal decision rather than the political parties. After the impeachment of Park Geun-hye, the Moon Jae-in administration took over control with a focus on industrial policy using ICT such as smart city policies. 

More specifically, the focus after the pandemic was on creating a “Digital Dam” by building infrastructure and sharing data, which would facilitate the use of data in areas close to people’s lives. In this regard, the masterplan of the Korean New Deal unveiled by the Ministry of Science & ICT focused on two pillars (i.e. Green & Digital New Deal) and composed of 12 goals across four sectors. The four sectors include: (1) Improving the ecosystem of Data, Network & AI (D.N.A), (2) Digitalize the Education Infrastructure, (3) Nurture Contactless Industries, and (4) Digitalize Social Overhead Capital. Later on, building on the previous version of the Digital New Deal initiative, the Korean Government decided to revamp it with the Digital New Deal 2.0 adding two more categories (i.e. Human and Local New Deal). This initiative has led to the creation of more than 1.9 million jobs for young adults, among others.

In the present context, President Yoon Suk-yeol unveiled 110 key policy tasks to pursue, including a “revolutionary” reinforcement of capabilities to respond to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and scrapping the nuclear phase-out policy. Before his impeachment in December 2024, the Ministry of Science and ICT presented the “Charter on the Values and Principles for a Digital Society of Mutual Prosperity” (“Digital Bill of Rights”) crystallizing Yoon’s digital vision for a universal digital order. The Digital Bill of Rights was enacted to address emerging challenges in the digital era as well as revise appropriate laws and regulations including execution of the Deepening Digitalization Response Survey. Further, it has consistently been at the forefront of digital connectivity, showcasing world-class broadband infrastructure and a thriving ecosystem for cutting-edge technologies such as AI, blockchain, and big data. Initiatives like the Public MyData program have seen remarkable growth, expanding from 8 pilot projects in 2021 to 119 services by 2024. This program underscores South Korea’s dedication to promoting data sovereignty, granting citizens greater control over their personal information, and fostering trust in digital governance.

Simultaneously, South Korea has been harnessing AI to tackle societal challenges, with growing applications in healthcare, transportation, and urban planning. The Ministry of Science and ICT’s phased Strategy for Trustworthy AI, scheduled for full implementation by 2025, highlighted the nation’s commitment to integrating technology with ethical and societal values. The Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee also approved the draft “Basic Law on the Advancement of and Establishment of Foundations for Trust Toward AI” (aka “Basic AI Law”) in late November.

Conclusion & Way Forward

Based on research and our analysis, the implementation of digital government in South Korea has been continuously pursued as a national agenda. Since South Korea has a well-established high-speed information and communication infrastructure, e-government and digital government innovation have been promoted as national agendas regardless of regime change. It is also worth mentioning that while policies for national digital development seem to face less resistance from the opposition parties, the August impeachment motion against Korea Communications Commission (KCC) Chairperson Lee Jin-sook after she took office for two days indicates the political volatility across the administration that could stall any policy and governance progresses.

Additionally, the political turmoil continues to unfold with the latest from the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol consequent to his declaration of martial law, marking a significant unprecedented moment since the nation’s independence in 1987. These shocking moves presented political uncertainty in South Korea and shakened investors’ confidence in digital and infrastructure investments in the country. The passage of key science and technology bills including the AI Basic Act is now expected to be delayed. According to the country’s central bank, the Bank of Korea, the monthly Composite Business Sentiment Index hit its lowest level since September 2020. Presently, the constitutional court has to decide within six months about the impeachment of President Yoon, and if removed, the country must hold an election within the next 60 days to vote for a new leader. The DP’s leader Lee Jae-myung is seen as the frontrunner according to opinion polls, but it remains to be seen whether the gladiator politics will come to an end (temporarily) with a new administration in 2025. With the latest wake-up calls, close monitoring of South Korea’s political and digital development is more important than ever for us to be vigilant to any unforeseen changes and advancements in Korean policy and politics.

Written by Sameer Gahlot (Edited by Jasmine Ko)

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