Deliberative Democracy in South Korea : Four Deliberative Polling Experiments

In 2017 the impeachment of then president Park Geun-hye and the peaceful turnover of political power marked a watershed moment in South Korean democracy. The new government introduced Deliberative Polling to resolve several contentious policy issues, including whether to resume construction of the Shin-Gori nuclear power plant. This chapter offers a case study of four Deliberative Polls in South Korea and analyses their characteristics and implications. Deliberative Polling has been focused on the most crucial issues for the nation, such as denuclearisation, and although the Polls have been linked to policymaking processes, the media has played a critical role in determining whether the outcomes are accepted. Finally, the chapter discusses the institutionalisation process of the South Korean Deliberative Polling model, including the establishment of public deliberation committees, which have been successful in raising the quality of Deliberative Polling and public deliberation. It recommends the establishment of a permanent public deliberation committee.