Seoul’s cautionary tale: Democracy shows its fragility in an age of autocratic rulers
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose declaration of a state of emergency on December 3 shocked the world, has often been referred to as “South Korea’s Donald Trump.” A political outsider, he came to power with anti-establishment and often outrageously inflammatory rhetoric, trash talking women’s rights, “reforming” their healthcare system, and pushing hard for a neoliberal agenda that included raising the workweek from 52 to 69 hours. In that, he reflects a growing trend among advanced democracies around the world, as decades of neoliberalism have weakened multiple nations’ abilities to sustain middle class lifestyles while enriching an oligarch...
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