Civic activism and Korean democracy

The impact of blacklisting campaigns in the 2000 and 2004 general elections

Dados Bibliográficos

ID12206586
AutoresAndrew Eungi Kim (University of California, Berkeley, autor correspondente)
Ano2006
Volume19
Fascículo4
Páginas519-542
Data de publicação2006-12-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoThe Pacific Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0951-2748 • E-ISSN: 1470-1332
EditoraTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09512740600984937
OpenAlexW2105542539
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas12

For the general elections in 2000 and 2004, civic groups in South Korea joined forces to stage the so-called ‘blacklisting campaign’ or ‘defeat campaign’ against allegedly corrupt, incompetent or anti-reform politicians. The campaigns not only played a significant role in thwarting many politicians from getting nominated or elected but also heralded a new era in Korean politics: civic groups have now emerged as a major political force, capable not only of challenging party policies and pending legislation but also taking on an agenda-setting prominence in a wide array of policy areas. In analyzing the success of NGO political activities in the 2000 and 2004 general elections, this paper draws on resource mobilization theory to show how the civic groups effectively utilized various resources, including leadership skills, communications and office facilities, and access to the mass media, to achieve their objective rather than relying simply on the spontaneous participation of voters. In comparing the efforts of civic groups in the two elections, the paper also explains the factors that made their endeavors relatively less successful in 2004 (e.g. a splintering of alliances among the civic groups). On the whole, the paper argues that the greater political involvement by civic groups is likely to lead to a more pluralistic, open and competitive form of democracy, and that the vibrant civic activism in Korea is an indication not only of maturing democracy but also a more secure entrenchment of civil society

Blacklisting · Civic engagement · Civil society · Democracy · Legislation · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Public Administration · Social Media and Politics