2005 Academy of East Asian Studies. pp. 183-217
Appraising the Quality of Democracy in South Korea: From the Perspectives of Ordinary Citizens and their Daily Experiences
by Doh Chull Shin, University of Missouri-Columbia &
Chong Min Park, Korea University
Index Values % |
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| Qualities | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | <4 | >4 | Dif | Mean |
| Freedom | 0.4 | 0.6 | 8.2 | 16.9 | 46.7 | 17.5 | 9.7 | 9.2 | 73.8 | +64.6 | 5.0 |
| Equality | 3.0 | 11.5 | 36.4 | 35.6 | 11.3 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 50.9 | 13.6 | -37.8 | 3.5 |
| Rule by Law | 6.3 | 18.9 | 29.3 | 33.1 | 9.8 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 54.5 | 12.5 | -42.0 | 3.3 |
| Accountability | 4.9 | 6.6 | 28.7 | 41.8 | 14.5 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 40.2 | 17.9 | -22.3 | 3.7 |
| Responsiveness | 5.0 | 10.3 | 29.8 | 27.5 | 13.6 | 11.7 | 2.1 | 45.1 | 27.4 | -17.7 | 3.8 |
| Table 6 Indexes Measuring the Specific Qualities of
Liberal Democracy Note: difference refers to the percentage difference between those scoring higher than the scale midpoint of 3 and those scoring lower than it. Source: 2003 East Asia Barometer survey conducted in Korea. |
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Political Freedom |
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| No | Yes | Total | ||
| Political Equality |
No | 22.9 | 63.5 | 86.4 |
| Yes | 3.2 | 10.4 | 13.6 | |
| Total | 26.1 | 73.9 | 100.0 | |
| Table 7 Patterns of Experiencing Political Freedom
and Equality Source: 2003 East Asia Barometer survey conducted in Korea. |
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ratic regimes were imprisoned on charges of accepting bribes and kickbacks from large conglomerates in sums up to as high as U.S. $900 million.21 Also in Korea, a democratically elected president was suspected of illegally spending U.S. $100 million of taxpayers’ money for a Nobel Peace Prize and his sons were arrested for taking bribes.22 According to the 2002 corruption perceptions index prepared by Transparency International, Korea ranks 40th out of the 102 countries surveyed. Undoubtedly, Korea maintains the dubious distinction of being one of the most corrupt members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the exclusive club of advanced economies.
To determine the extent to which laws are observed in the policymaking process, a pair of questions was selected from the 2003 EAB survey, which asked a set of eight questions about the rule of law. The first question in this pair concerns the extent to which the office of the president abides by the laws. The second question addresses the extent to which the National Assembly does. Less than half the Korean population (49%) replied that the presidential office tends
22. Bang, 2002; Donga Ilbo, 2003; Economist, 2002.
