Next Democracy 

It sheds light on the process of modern democracy's collapse due to weakening internal norms and authoritarian retreat, not a military coup. Stephen Levitsky shows why U.S. democracy was shaken by Trump's re-government crisis and what risks arise when norms and tolerance collapse. Then, former Constitutional Court Justice Moon Hyung-bae shares his experience of understanding that the essence of democracy is "tolerance and moderation" during the impeachment process of the president, stressing that this value is the key to restoring democracy. From this point of view, the two speakers put their heads together on how to prevent Korean society from collapsing inside and protect the foundation of democracy.

Professor Eva Iluz analyzes the psychological and emotional basis of populism and democratic crises through the Politics of Emotions. 

It explains how emotions such as anger, hatred, fear, envy, and love are politically mobilized to shake democracy, and combines them with the reality of division in Korean society. In the following roundtable, Korean scholars such as Kim Man-kwon and Um Ki-ho critically discuss citizens' emotions, crises of democracy, fair discourse and inequality, and seek alternative political and social imaginations.

Professor Daniel Markovitz explains the structure in which the meritocratic system deepens inequality and weakens the foundation of democracy. 

Professor Joe Rittler analyzes how the cultural and ideological discourse of "fairness" justifies inequality and threatens democracy. 

The roundtable, which combines the two presentations, discusses the impact of meritocracy and inequality on democracy in the education, labor, and class structure of Korean society, and explores alternative institutional design and social solidarity.

This session focuses on how the institutional experiments of 'doubtful democracy' and 'citizens' councils can reshape local democracy. 

Professor Ellen Landmore introduces the civic council experiment conducted in the U.S. and its possibilities, while Professor Min Le-Sang shares specific experiences that civic councils have been institutionalized in Europe. The following discussions discuss institutional conditions and social foundations for the establishment of civic councils at the regional level in Korea. Furthermore, by institutionalizing civic participation and deliberation beyond extremes and divisions, we seek that local democracy can become a new way for Korean democracy.

The 2025 Hankyoreh Regional Resilience Awards is an event celebrating the outstanding achievements of local governments that have increased the sustainability and resilience of their communities amid the challenges of population decline and centralization of the metropolitan area.

Based on various indicators such as carbon neutrality, regional economic cycle, community recovery, and welfare infrastructure across three areas of the environment, economy, and society, we share regional policy experiments and innovation cases to explore future development directions.

This award ceremony will be a meaningful place to celebrate the achievements of overcoming the crisis with local power and leap to a better place to live, and further reaffirm the value of local resilience to society as a whole. 

In this session, local leaders from various regions will actively participate to share policy experiments and outcomes aimed at strengthening resilience. 

We will explore diverse on-the-ground examples, including responses to the climate crisis and environment-based transitions, the reconstruction of economic circulation through the redeployment of regional assets and industrial diversification, community recovery grounded in social diversity and inclusion, and the establishment of social foundations through innovations in care and welfare.

Additionally, the session will highlight innovations in governance for social integration, changes in regional collaborative systems, and experiments in locally-led future planning beyond centralization within the framework of the new government’s policy direction. Through the autonomy, creativity, and solidarity emerging from each region’s unique context, we aim to envision a sustainable and resilient future for local communities.

Despite its achievements, Korean democracy faces global trends of political polarization and the weakening of democratic norms. 

Citizens are questioning whether meaningful change in society is truly possible. The younger generation, frustrated with the practices of established politics and institutional limitations, is simultaneously exploring new forms of political participation and social change.

Beyond a simple generational shift, is it possible to innovate the very ways politics is conducted? 

Through what experiments and practices can we realize the “Next Democracy”?

Concurrent Session 2 examines the limitations and structural constraints of established politics while exploring various experiments being undertaken both within and outside formal institutions. Based on these discussions, we aim to explore how momentum for political change can be generated.