South Korea Can Be a Democratic Leader

As democracy faces a growing assault around the world, South Korea is emerging as a country that is uniquely positioned to help lead a global democratic renewal. When Seoul held the 1988 Summer Olympics, it helped introduce South Korea to the world as a modern nation. Hosting the third Summit for Democracy this week reflects South Korea’s new ambition to support the expansion of freedom around the world, especially in the Indo-Pacific and in the global south.

South Korea’s transformation from devastation after the Korean War to economic powerhouse has inspired many developing countries. Successive Korean administrations have focused on economic development at home while maintaining an alliance with the United States and managing relations with regional powers to keep the peace on the Korean peninsula. But now Seoul is aiming higher: South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has written that he sees his country as a “global pivotal state,” taking on a bigger role in “expanding freedom and human rights, not just for ourselves, but also for others.”

Many people in the global south resist the idea of a world in which they must choose between the United States and China. In this sense, the Korean model is one to emulate: a non-Western country that has achieved economic development coupled with growing political and societal liberalization at home while navigating great power politics. As the need for global democratic solidarity grows more urgent, South Korea’s stepping up to host the Summit for Democracy underscores the important role that non-Western democracies have to play on the global stage.

South Korea has growing soft power, and the emergence of Korean pop culture as a global phenomenon (known as Hallyu, or the Korean Wave), along with South Korea’s technological prowess, can help its aspirations on the world stage. South Korea’s open society has enabled the production of both cultural and technological innovations that shape the daily life of so many people around the world. The unprecedented global reach of K-pop and K-dramas have shown the world the lifestyle attainable in today’s South Korea, and global consumers likely view the country’s freedoms positively.

Half of the world’s countries have seen a decline in at least one democracy indicator in the last five years, as measured by the Global State of Democracy Initiative. Meanwhile, authoritarian powers are learning from and supporting one another and using the international system to their advantage. Democratic leaders must take the initiative in revitalizing a global order that upholds people’s freedoms. And for democracy to thrive globally, governments beyond the United States and Europe must play a leading role in supporting it.

Yoon has warned that the “freedom and democracy we have built through sweat and sacrifice are being seriously undermined around the world and faced with grave challenges.” The Summit for Democracy provides an opportunity to demonstrate that democracies are united in defending democracy together. As host, South Korea sends a strong signal to those who continue to dismiss democracy as Western and therefore incompatible with other values. For countries that want to avoid taking sides amid global tensions, South Korea’s leadership can navigate these shoals.

South Korea’s own trajectory resonates with democracy advocates in the global south. The Korean people challenged their dictatorship in 1987 and peacefully transitioned the country to a liberal democracy. This “homegrown democracy” has enabled Seoul to flourish in economic development and innovation by ensuring the rule of law, protections of property rights, and fostering the freedom of expression so crucial to creative industries—fueling the Korean Wave. All of this makes the country’s choice to host the summit a potential game changer.

South Korea can show that although the path to democracy is context-specific, the values and institutions that sustain it—free speech, free markets, and political competition—are universal. In addition to the Summit for Democracy, Seoul will host other important meetings related to digital governance and artificial intelligence this year, including the Global AI Forum in May and the AI Summit Seoul in December. As Yoon has argued, “[W]e, as free citizens of the world, must unite in solidarity to stave off any misuse or any abuse of digital technology that could undermine our freedom.”

This week, South Korea has an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to democratic solidarity and articulate how it will intensify its support for democracy around the world. It should leverage its soft power to do so. By showcasing South Korea’s digital innovation and culture, made possible by such values as freedom of expression, the country can achieve outsized impact in making a case for democracy everywhere, not just in the West.

The countries that have been at the frontlines of democratic leadership should now help South Korea to play a leading role in strengthening global democratic infrastructure. This means using the Summit for Democracy to make clear to the Korean people and government that the world welcomes their ambition and expects the summit to translate these aspirations into action. South Korea will find its own pathway to regional and global leadership, and other democracies can provide valuable partnership along the way.

South Korea is already an impressive democracy and vibrant market economy. It can build on these achievements to emerge as a global democratic leader. One day, the Korean Wave may be known not only for its cultural capital, but also for spurring a more democratic future.