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consolidation. Democratic rules and norms have been firmly established.
Fair and free elections have become the only game in town. People
now take for granted the turnover of political power. It has taken place
three times for the last three decades: in 1997, in 2007, and in 2017.
Even though the Korean society has sometimes had some political
trouble, Korea’s new democracy managed to overcome such difficulties.
For example, in the wake of the financial crisis which swept many
Asian countries in 1997, South Korean economy was under the control of
the IMF for some time. Nevertheless, Korea’s democracy managed to
survive the financial crisis. Rather, the first turnover of power between
competing parties took place. A long-time opposition leader, Kim Dae
Jung was elected as president amid the 1997 financial crisis. From
Korea’s experiences, a path to democratic consolidation is not a smooth
and comfortable road. On the contrary, it is a bumpy and winding road.
South Korea experienced various ups and downs in the process of
democratic consolidation. There were some people and politicians who
preferred the authoritarian era and wanted to turn the clock back,
though there were no serious attempts to undermine the democratic
regime. Despite some difficulties Korean people never forgot the
direction toward democratic progresses. In other words, we sometimes
got lost, but we got back on the right track soon. For sustainable
democracy, it is important for people’s will and wish to achieve the
goal. People in a democracy should not forget the values of democracy.

Second, political institutions do matter. As you know, South Korea
has recently had serious political turmoil, and as a consequence, the
incumbent president was fired. Along with the revelation of scandals in
which former President Park Geun Hye was involved, people got deeply
frustrated and infuriated. People took to the street to vent their
frustration and dissatisfaction. Mass candle-lit vigil protests took place.
Every weekend more than a million people gathered not only at the
heart of capital city Seoul but also in many other major cities
nationwide. She was criticized for corruption and inappropriate political
behaviors. She also violated some democratic principles. Facing mass
protests and widespread public dissatisfaction, the discredited president

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