2021 Public Diplomacy Camp

 

Research paper on

Digital Democracy. The Achievements of South Korea in Addressing Social Issues in the Digital Age: Suggestions on Implementing Digital Democracy to CIS countries and Developing E-government in South Korea.

 

Team “The Movement”

Insoo Pi

Yuri Choi

JiSeon Seo

Inkar Tamina

Zakhar Leshakov

Dilshodbek Nurmetov

4.09.2021

 

CONTENTS

 

INTRODUCTION                                                                                              

 

1. Media and Democracy

1. Media                                                                                                          

2. Digital (New) and Traditional Media                                                         

3. Overview of E-Democracy                                                                        

 

  II. THE DEVELOPMENT OF E-DEMOCRACY IN KOREAN CONTEXT (The impact/role of ICT)                                                                12

1. Analyzing the cases of E-democracy in South Korea: 

CHEONG WA DAE;

E-people(국민신문고);                    

E-Government practices; 

SNS(Personal pages)

1. Achievements/challenges                                                                         

 

III. RESULTS & RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Primary Data: Survey explanation                                                                      

2.       Survey results in figures                                                                            

 

 

                                               

Introduction

 

Understanding the patterns and trends in the development of modern society is associated with understanding the obstacles, difficulties, and deviations in its functioning. The inevitable contradictions of social development, non-observance of the social norms of the functioning of society, groups, and individuals lead to the emergence of situations that directly or indirectly affect each person and require joint efforts to overcome them. Such situations can be designated by the concept of “social problems of society.”

It is generally accepted that modern society is replete with various problems, including problems of a social nature. From the point of view of the layman, personal problems complicate a person’s own life and they can be fully or partially solved on their own or ask for help and advice from friends, colleagues, relatives, or a professional. Solving social problems is much more difficult. They concern not only a single individual, but also the whole society as a whole, in the extreme case, individual social groups.

The free participation of citizens of the country in solving social or other problems in the state is one of the characteristics of the democratization of society. In such a society, human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected, observed, and ensured, where equality, security, and development of society are the main ideas.

Thanks to the development of ICT, the direct participation of citizens in various government processes has become even more active through digital platforms. In many countries, special state and non-state electronic platforms are created and used, where citizens can express their opinions, control over the solution of pressing problems, etc.

Relevance of the research topic. Digital democracy is important in the era of ICT development when many processes in the state take place in electronic format. It became especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic when people were restricted in movement and had to stay at home. Quarantine measures do not mean that citizens should not participate in various processes in the state, but on the contrary, through ICT, continue to express their opinions, control the course of social, state processes.

As one of the world leaders in ICT, Korea, unlike other countries (CIS), has shown excellent results in the smooth operation of government agencies even during the peak of the pandemic: government affairs were conducted online, communication with citizens also moved to digital format. Citizens continued to actively use state electronic platforms to discuss draft laws, social and other problems. It was also noticeable that social networks became an active platform where anyone could express their thoughts. For this reason, we have chosen this topic for the analysis “Digital Democracy. The Achievements of South Korea in Addressing Social Issues in the Digital Age: Suggestions on Implementing Digital Democracy to CIS countries and Developing E-government in South Korea”.

 The purpose of this research is to reveal the topic “Digital Democracy. The Achievements of South Korea in Addressing Social Issues in the Digital Age: Suggestions on Implementing Digital Democracy to CIS countries and Developing E-government in South Korea” “based on the material of the Republic of Korea and the CIS countries (Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan).

Tasks:

- to characterize and analyze the level of digital democratization in each country (Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan).

- to give a general description of the current state of digital democracy in the CIS countries and the Republic of Korea;

- to identify and compose information material of the main types of electronic platforms in South Korea;

- analyze the functional features of electronic platforms in the Republic of Korea;

- make recommendations for the CIS countries on the implementation of the experience of digital democracy in Korea.

The object of this study is “Digital Democracy” (focuses on the experience of digital democracy in the Republic of Korea).

The subject of the research is the consideration of individual questions formulated as the tasks of this research.

Research methods. In the course of this study, theoretical methods were used such as comparison, systematization, and generalization, as well as surveys.

Theoretical value. This work will serve as informational material on the experience of the Republic of Korea in the field of democratization of digital media.

Practical significance. The information (survey results, analyzes) below will help people interested in digital democracy understand the current state of digital democracy in the CIS countries (Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan). In addition to this, this work will be useful for its comparative information on the experience of Korea in this area.

I. Media and Democracy

1. The concept of “media”

Media (lat. Medium ‘mediator’) is a broad concept that includes means of communication, methods of transferring information, as well as the environment they form (media space).

We can say that the media is an intermediary of transmitted information, helping to establish contact with the public, any member of which can participate in the creation of content.

The media include various mechanisms for delivering data to the recipient:

Traditional (analog, printed) media – television, radio broadcasting, print newspapers.

New (digital) – means that use new technologies to convey information, such as computers, mobile phones with Internet access:

• Websites

• Blogs

• Email

• Social networks services

• Music and television streaming services

• Virtual and augmented reality

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1. New(digital) and traditional media

Digital media, or “new media”, rapidly burst into our lives about two decades ago. They appeared in the 1980s, when the Internet and mass-use computer technology began to develop actively. For a long time, this was a novelty for a person inexperienced with such innovations, since earlier the media were based only on “traditional”: print, as well as analog broadcasting models. The active process of globalization, technological progress, as well as the transition to an information society – all have become the main reasons for the emergence of digital media and the strengthening of their further influence on society.

The emergence of the “World Wide Web” completely changed the speed of information processing, the rate of its receipt and abolished censorship. The amount of information began to grow exponentially along with the growth of fast Internet access points, the proliferation of blogs, LiveJournal, and other information platforms for the transmission and exchange of various kinds of information. The Internet has made the way to receive and exchange information a fast process that does not require any significant effort, does not take the already limited time of a modern person.

Before talking directly about new media, it is simply necessary to say about the criteria for distinguishing between digital media and classical ones. Traditional media are categorized into radio, print, and television.

Nowadays, traditional and new media are divided according to several criteria:

1. Availability of information

2. Method of delivery to the consumer

3. Decentralization of information

4. High throughput

5. Interactivity

6. Flexibility of content

New (digital) media, unlike traditional (old) ones, have a decentralized structure. Roles in the new media environment are usually not fixed, there is no clear vertical hierarchy. Users have the ability to directly influence content creation. New media is an interactive communication channel. In the new media environment, information flows from the content creator, directly to consumers. New media, in turn, combine traditional information carriers – text, audio recording, static and dynamic images – into a large-scale multimedia medium that allows content to be distributed through various channels and receive instant feedback.

It is also necessary to say about the entire importance of the Internet in the development of new media since it is it that allows you to use text, audio files, video fragments, and images at the same time to transfer certain information.

With the development of the information (post-industrial) society, a person is increasingly immersed in a parallel reality, a kind of illusory world of the Internet, in the vastness of which he can receive information that is not available to him in real life, openly express his opinions, declare himself. As a result, there is an active influx of consumers of digitized content. Naturally, changes in the ways of perceiving information of modern readers, their transition from print media to digital, makes the media adapt to the new habits of their audiences, transform into a digital media environment, some “new media”. To summarize, we can say that “new media” are all communication technologies in digital form, and the Internet is the main source of access to information in this form.

 

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1. Digital (electronic) democracy

 

The democratic political system, which dates back to ancient times, has undergone various changes over the course of historical development. In the modern period, under the influence of information and telecommunication technologies, democracy is also undergoing significant reform. One of the manifestations of this reform is electronic (digital) democracy.

Electronic (digital) democracy is a form of political organization characteristic of the information society, combining the properties of direct and plebiscite (referendum) democracy, as well as the possibilities of ICT. E-democracy means that:

1. the main decisions are made directly by citizens through plebiscites in the information network;

2. Citizens have legislative initiative and the right to control the observance of the rule of law;

3. rejection in many cases from the principle of the priority of the majority, and the transition to consensus decisions in which there is no neglected minority.

In the implementation of e-democracy, four technologies are used: online information and communication, online services, online participation of citizens in the activities of government at different levels, the economic support of e-democracy.

The forms of digital (electronic) democracy are divided into two types: state platforms and non-state ones. The first includes:

1. Electronic voting (e-Vote).

2. Electronic government (Canada, South Korea, etc.).

3. Creation of official websites of political parties, statesmen, and their improvement in terms of receiving and considering applications in electronic form, providing reports on the measures taken in pursuance of these applications.

4. Projects to clarify public opinion on the Internet on the fundamental laws and political events of the country.

5. The right to legislative initiative, the right to a referendum.

6. Creation of electronic legislative and judicial authorities with online registration of opinions (municipal digital project City Hall in the USA, project The European Citizens Initiative, CHEONG WA DAE).

7. Using the Internet as a platform for outreach activities, taking into account the generalization of the experience of voters appealing to requests for information about elections in the country.

8. Creation of information and communication base for the formation of “electronic” political and public leaders.

9. Notification via the Internet about the most important political events.

Many countries are already actively introducing social media into their work. Social networks are no longer considered the “personal” space of a certain person but are an integral part of government processes since they are able to unite millions of people. In these platforms, information is transmitted and updated quickly, there is the possibility of interactive interaction, free expression of will. On social networks, there are pages of political figures, parties, departments, international organizations, etc., to whose news any user can subscribe, with the right to rate and comment on them. Such pages serve not only as a platform for social and political debates but also as organizational platforms for protest movements. For this reason, people prefer to use social networks as a platform for discussing certain political, social, and other situations.

There are many platforms for self-expression these days:

1. Facebook

2. Twitter

3. Youtube

4. 4. Regional social networks: VK, Telegram, etc.

The guarantee of citizens to freely express themselves, express their opinions on certain issues, participate in political or other processes through electronic platforms is a characteristic of a developed digital democracy in a particular country. In such countries, countries are developing more direct democracy in which the main decisions are initiated, taken, and controlled directly by citizens.

 

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II. THE DEVELOPMENT OF E-DEMOCRACY IN THE KOREAN CONTEXT

1. Analyzing the cases of E-democracy in South Korea: 

 

With the spread of SNS, the relationship between politics, media, and information has changed significantly. The advent of E-democracy was made possible by the development of information and communication technology in the late 20th century. As media development and citizens’ dependence on online information increased, the social influence of SNS also improved. As various SNS such as Instagram and Twitter are used, the way of communication is diversified, the amount of communication is increasing, and various and close online ties are being formed in different ways from offline. Citizens experience the growth of social and political consciousness as they discuss ways to bring about real change through this process.

E-democracy in South Korea begins in the Fifth Republic. Since the mid-1980s, computer function has developed into a national project.
In the 1990s, the need to establish a foundation for high-speed information and communication was strongly raised. In this process, an information promotion committee was formed to promote informatization across all areas of the country. E-democracy in South Korea has made rapid progress under the ‘government of the people.

 

• a national newspaper(국민신문고)

It is an online public participation portal run by the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and is a window for civil petition applications, public proposals, and policy participation.

Through this method, it can improve the democratization and reliability of administration and use it as a means of administrative relief that people can use most easily.

• Cheong Wa Dae-national petition(청와대 국민청원)

August 17, 2017, Moon Jae-in president took office 100 days to a bulletin board as established in order to communicate directly with people.

Not only is this bulletin board positively evaluated as an example of direct democracy, where people directly propose policies and give opinions, but it also plays a major role in making some cases a social issue through this bulletin board.

 

    Can SNS change the environment of civic participation in politics?

These characteristics of social media can change the environment of civic participation in politics; Three characteristics can be identified by the above phenomenon.

First, political and social expression becomes easier. Since it features the speed, economy, and reliability of SNS message delivery and facilitates the spread of information through the network, an individual’s opinion can also develop into a strong political and social discourse through social media.

Second, while participating in the process of acquiring and exchanging information through SNS, users can grow from simple recipients of information provided to citizens who actively find and collect information and form a network of process information.

Third, as SNS transforms into a social forum, it improves the quality of civic participation. Information communicated on social media is likely to be “sharing public interests and various perspectives,” and networks formed through social media increase citizens’ political and social involvement.

As such, E-democracy has emerged as a major medium to gauge the existence and development of modern representative democracy, from tools for useful communication and building private networks to means of business and election campaigns.

This will give the people an opportunity to be interested in politics and participate in it themselves. In other words, it helps the development of direct democracy. However, it is also necessary to control and restrict this phenomenon in an appropriate way, as it has a significant impact on election activities and can act as a campaign expedient.

 

1. Achievements

Without the problems (debasement of quality, duplicate signature, and so on) at online petitions, people filed countless complaints with the petitions. Until this year august, over 255 answers have been answered(only in the Blue House petition).

 For the government, these petitions are a good way to making social issues which are important for the politic. The opposition party has to complain about most of the issues are made by the government party because of the petition. With national interest, the government showed them solve the problems making issues.

 For people, they got the answer directly from the government if they get over 200,000 recommend in 30days. This petition is the fastest and easiest way to supply the complaint. Some of the legally debatable complaints actually became a law like “Yoon-chang-ho law(Additional Punishment Law on Specific Crimes_driving under the influence)”, “Minsk law(Additional Punishment Law on Specific Crimes_careless driving in school zone” and so on.

 

2.1 Challenges

Since starting the online petition, they have been got a lot of issues include the unknown removal from the government, manipulating the number of participants, and delaying the answer. But this online petition has two big challenges.

First is the debasement of quality in the petition. In the petition, some of them are absurd. Like war with Sweden (because of losing in FIFA) or impeachment of the other country president. The problem is these petitions are recommended(participate) by over 200,000 people. Because of this problem, people warn that populism and ochlocracy in the government.

The second is the duplicate signature. The account for register and recommend can log in using their social account(SNS, Kakaotalk) without authentication. So, it is easy to manipulate the number of people recommends when one person haves multiple social accounts. But it is hard to find out alternatives because of many reasons include people who not using mobile phones and Koreans who live overseas.

 Not only are these two big challenges, but there are also so many things to change in online petitions. Therefore, people have to think about the method of online political participation and make best practices for it.

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III. RESULTS & RECOMMENDATIONS

 

The fact that less than half of the respondents have ever heard of digital democracy speaks of the lack of the population’s involvement in digital democracy and a lack of awareness among the citizens. [Fig.1]

The assessment of the level of digital democracy as "satisfactory" in the CIS countries speaks not so much of the state of digital democracy as of the state of democracy in general in these countries. As for South Korea, the high level indicates developed political culture and political participation of citizens. [Fig.2]

The wide variation in the use of ICTs in political processes demonstrates the optional role of ICTs and digital democracy in the current realities. High performance in South Korea is associated with the important role and weight of ICT in political processes, while low performance in the CIS countries indicates that these countries are lagging in the transition to digital democracy.

In terms of the number of respondents who have used online platforms at least once to express their political position, only the results in Kazakhstan cause great concern, in other countries the situation is normal. [Fig.3]

In South Korea, most of the platforms that respondents mentioned while answering the question "What platform did you use to express your position?" are state platforms, while in the CIS countries, almost all mentioned platforms are social networks, which indicates a low interest of government structures to enter the Internet space. [Fig.4]

The majority of respondents in all countries agree that creating a platform for dialogue between government and citizens will help develop digital democracy. In second place is the creation of voting systems accessible to all citizens. [Fig.5]

The fact that CIS countries prefer an anonymous way of using online platforms to express their own position speaks of the fear of citizens to express a position that does not coincide with that of the government. But even a small gap in South Korea suggests that fear, even in a highly developed democratic state, still remains and is a decisive factor in political issues. [Fig.5]

Our main recommendation is to make the use of ICTs in political processes mandatory. This will increase digital literacy and increase the trust and weight of ICT in the state actions, thereby increasing the transparency of decisions.

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Results of a survey from each country: Kazakhstan, Korea, Russia, Uzbekistan

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