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Obviously, the first test case concerning the allegation of large-scale election fraud
was not properly handled by the public sector in Korea. It seems that more than half
of Koreans lost trust in public election management system in Korea. It is no wonder
that starting with the 21st General Election on April 15, 2020, the 20th Presidential
Election on March 9, 2022, the National Simultaneous Local Elections on June 1,
2022, the Gangseo district mayor's By-election on October 11, 2023, and the 22nd
General Election on April 10, 2024, allegations of large-scale fraud have been steadily
raised in various elections. Democracy in Korea is now in peril. One needs to analyze
this situation in a broader and historical perspective.
II. Analysis: On-going War between Honesty and Digital Fascism
Everyone becomes honest when he or she thinks or talks about a relationship with
his or her own family members. This means that happiness in the family is based on
the value of honesty. Honesty should also be the essential value for the state-citizen
relationship. When people are knowingly deceived by their own government, they
can never feel happiness from that governance and citizenship. Sadly enough,
honesty is the value fading away in many parts of the world in this digital and mass
media era.
What is happening in Korea in recent years goes beyond the level of a simple political
struggle between conservative and progressive. It is foreshadowing the era of
organized deception by a cartel of interest/ideology-sharing power groups inside and
outside of the nation. This era might eventually lead us to the so-called 'digital
fascism'.
Fascism, which appeared in the 1920s and 40s, attempted to realize the complete
solidarity and integration of the ruling class. The guiding ideology and fascist leaders
were subject to enthusiastic worship, and criticism of this was unacceptable and
dangerous. The system established by mankind to fundamentally suppress fascism,
which served as a key factor in the outbreak of World War II, is a democratic
procedure. The essence of a democratic system, whether liberal or social democracy,
lies not in its "ideology", but in its "process". The principles and institutions
established by the national community gain legitimacy through the domination of
the democratic majority, and in order to do so, the principle of respect for the
minority must be observed.
The question of fairness of the electoral system has suddenly been at the forefront of
the very modern society of Korea in the last four years. This topic has also been
raised at least in several other countries including the United States. Similar cases
keep happening in many countries on the path of China’s Belt and Road initiative in
which China is developing roads and ports in dozens of countries while building
markets for Chinese exports. These countries include Turkey (2015), Iraq (2018),
Iran (2009), Kyrgyzstan (2009), Kenya (2018) and DR Congo (2018).
The democratic governance of rule by majority can only be justified if the arguments
of minorities claiming fraudulent elections should be sufficiently and promptly
verified or disproven. Fair and honest examination of election fraud claims is the
core of the principle of democracy. The South Korean government, the National
Assembly and the courts have been thoroughly ignoring, for more than two years,
people's ongoing protests and more than 200 formal lawsuits against the fraudulent
general election of April 15 2020 and then they have covered up those cases with an
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