K-Democracy Defined in Seoul, Keynote Speech by President Lee Jae-myung at the World Political Science Association

Presentation of the concept of K-democracy

On July 13, 2025, at the opening ceremony of the 28th World Congress of Political Science (IPSA) held at COEX in Seoul, the President of South Korea clearly presented the concept of K-Democracy to the international political science community. He stated, "Democracy that started in Seoul is becoming a new paradigm," aiming to establish a Korean-style model of democracy in the context of the recent internal unrest and citizen-led resistance and institutional improvement experiments that have occurred in Korea over the past few months. This statement is not simply a nationalist expression it arises from the awareness that a democratic system cannot overcome crises through institutional completeness alone. K-Democracy does not merely refer to a constitutional framework or voting procedures it can be understood as a model of sustainable political operation based on the exercise of actual sovereignty, citizen participation, and a digital infrastructure.

Underlying Conditions of Korean Democracy

South Korea is a country that has transitioned from military dictatorship to a multi-party democratic system in a relatively short period of time. The June Uprising of 1987 led to the restoration of direct presidential elections, and since then, Korea's political system has maintained an outwardly stable democratic structure. However, structural issues such as recurring power-related corruption with each regime change, electoral disputes, the politicization of the judiciary, and the infringement of press independence have persisted. The candlelight vigils that took place from 2016 to 2017 are an important example of how political participation from outside the system effectively moved Korean democracy. The impeachment of President Park Geun-hye was driven by citizen participation and pressure rather than legal procedures. This experience made it clear that the functioning of democracy cannot solely rely on voting and representative systems. It was during this period that the concept of citizen-centered politics emerged, and it later became an empirical basis for the theoretical foundation of 'K-Democracy'.

December 3rd: The Collapse of Insurrection and Institutional Structure

On December 3, 2024, the incident that occurred when then-President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a state of emergency and deployed military forces near the National Assembly was a decisive turning point that revealed how structurally vulnerable Korean democracy is. The president's unilateral judgment, the complicity of some in the leadership, and the delayed response from the judicial authorities momentarily halted the normal functioning of the rule of law. However, this attempted coup was resolved within a day due to the gathering of citizens, the resistance of the National Assembly, and the disobedience to orders from some military forces. Formally, this series of events can be seen as a failure of the coup, but it can be interpreted as a new phase in the sense that civil society, rather than the constitutional system, maintained democracy. Democracy in South Korea has not been sustained solely by laws and institutions. In times of crisis, it was the judgment and actions of citizens that took effect when the institutions came to a halt. December 3 was not merely a political event it was a case that revealed where the actual balance of power lies in the theory of structural democracy.

Revolution of Light and Citizen-Led Politics

The protests that took place nationwide over the following six months were summarized by political scientists and the media as the 'Revolution of Light.' Instead of candles, mobile phone lights and cheering sticks became symbols of the streets, and the demonstrations spread across generations and regions. At the core were autonomous organizations and individual participation. Citizens shared real-time information using social media and digital platforms and shaped public opinion through self-produced content when media coverage was obstructed. This movement was not led by a specific political party or organization, but rather was formed by a multitude of independent citizens who came together. The 'Kiss Group' that emerged during this process was a cheering stick protest group primarily composed of women in their 20s and 30s, a form rarely seen in traditional political movements. Unlike traditional protest methods, they actively utilized emotional language and visual symbols, emphasizing community survival and the restoration of basic order over specific ideologies. The Revolution of Light was not a one-time resistance, but a collective action that revealed who the actual agents of politics are and how they should operate. It demonstrated that citizen-led politics can function as a viable model.

Construction and Experimental Application of the Concept of K-Democracy

As of 2025, the South Korean government is conducting various institutional experiments under the name of K-Democracy. The citizen recommendation system, citizen mailbox, and nationwide town hall meetings are attempts to institutionalize direct democratic elements. K-Democracy is centered around three core structures. The first is ensuring the substance of politics. This starts from the recognition that democracy only has meaning when practical equality and freedom are secured in areas such as welfare, jobs, housing, and safety nets. According to the president's expression, "Freedom is not a state of being free from interference, but a state where the conditions for sustaining life are guaranteed." This presents a clear standard that distinguishes it from traditional liberalism. The second is the institutional transformation of citizen capabilities. If the political capabilities of citizens, proven during the Candlelight Revolution and December coup resistance, are not institutionalized, democracy will always rely on external actions. To address this, the government operates an online-based direct participation platform, and each ministry is adopting periodic feedback and public opinion reflection structures. The third is the operation of technology-based democracy. Systems are being built to refine public opinion through AI-based data analysis and to support real-time policy reflection. This is an attempt to combine digital filtering technology, which is inevitably required in the era of information overload, with citizen participation.

Structural Vulnerability and International Implications

The emergence of K-democracy is an inevitable result formed through repeated institutional failures and citizen resistance within Korea. This structure may appear to be a unique case specific to Korea however, considering that the institutional limitations of democracy and conflicts within civil society are simultaneously present in various countries around the world, it can be analyzed as a model that is sufficiently generalizable. Currently, democratic countries, including Europe and the United States, are also experiencing extremism, political distrust, and deepening polarization. The decline in trust in representative democracy and citizens' sense of alienation have spread into structural issues that cannot be resolved solely through governmental changes via elections. In this process, K-democracy can be understood as an attempt to converge citizen capabilities outside of political institutions into the institutions themselves, and it is gaining attention as a case that can expand the democratic operating system in conjunction with digital-based technologies.

The Next Stage of Democracy

The K-democracy presented in Seoul is not a concept that breaks away from or completely replaces past democracies. It is closer to a complement to existing systems, a reconstruction of citizen capabilities, and a role as an experimental model suitable for the digital society. The practical authority of the sovereign, accountability for the survival base of politics, and the integration with technology are all ongoing processes, designed within a structure of civic democracy that does not rely on any specific regime or ideology. K-democracy is a model currently being experimented with in Korea, but it offers an alternative to democratic systems around the world that are experiencing institutional limitations. The understanding that democracy must be connected to the ability to solve real-world problems, beyond merely maintaining institutions or electoral procedures, is no longer an option. The K-democracy being redefined in Seoul can become a turning point that links the current crisis with the democracy of the next era.