Perspectives on Contemporary Korea 2025 | One Year after the Martial Law Declaration: Democratic Backsliding and Resilience in Korea and Beyond
December 5, 2025 | University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Weiser Hall 1010
Organizers
Ji Yeon (Jean) Hong (Department of Political Science, University of Michigan)
Juhn Ahn (Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, University of Michigan)
This workshop marks the first anniversary of the unprecedented political upheaval triggered by President Yoon Seok Yeol’s declaration of martial law in South Korea. The event aims to critically reflect on the political and institutional causes and consequences of this crisis, both within Korea and in a broader comparative perspective. In the wake of this extraordinary challenge to democratic norms around the world, what have we learned about the vulnerabilities and the strength of democratic institutions from the experience of South Korea?
By situating Korea within the global wave of democratic backsliding and bringing together scholars working on democratic backsliding from diverse cases and perspectives, this workshop aims to generate new insights into institutional guardrails, civic mobilization, elite behavior, and international influence. It will also examine how Korea’s political trajectory over the past year informs debates about the durability of democracy in both established and emerging democratic regimes.
December 5, 2025 | University of Michigan | Weiser Hall 1010
All times listed below are US Eastern Standard (Ann Arbor, Michigan) time.
Friday, December 5
9:00 a.m.
Breakfast
9:30 a.m.
Opening Remarks
9:40 a.m. - 11:50 a.m. // Panel 1
Chair: Joan Cho (Wesleyan University)
Part I 9:40 - 10:45 am
Inbok Rhee (Yonsei University), “Hands-on Democracy: The Effects of Electoral Work on Trust and Democratic Attitudes”
Brandon B. Park (Chung-Ang University), “Who Support Martial Law in a Democracy? Lessons from South Korea”
Discussant: Cesi Cruz (University of Michigan)
Part II 10:45 - 11:50 am
Yelim Chung (University of Missouri), “Revisiting Political Polarization in Korea”
Lucan Way (University of Toronto), “Development and Democracy: Korea in comparative perspective"
Discussant: John Kuk (Michigan State University)
11:50 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Lunch (Optional: Campus Walk)
1:00 p.m. - 3:20 p.m. // Panel 2
Chair: Myunghee Lee (Michigan State University)
Part I 1:00 - 2:05 pm
Joshua Byun (Boston College), "Just Tell Them You're Sorry! Assessing the Impact of Shaming on Support for Policies of Atonement in International Politics."
Eun A Jo (College of William & Mary) and Yusaku Horiuchi (Florida State University), “Cooperation with Democratic Backsliders? American Public Perceptions of South Korea’s Role in International Security”
Discussant: Jim Morrow (University of Michigan)
Part II: 2:05-3:10pm
Laura Gamboa (Notre Dame University), “New Pathways of Democratic Erosion in Latin America”
Ji Yeon (Jean) Hong (University of Michigan), “The Peril of Past Strengths: The Rise and Decline of South Korea’s Conservative Party”
Discussant: Stephan Haggard (UCSD, Zoom)
3:10 – 3:30 p.m.
Coffee Break
3:30 – 5:10 p.m. // Panel 3
Chair: Laura Gamboa, (University of Notre Dame)
Sanghoon Kim-Leffingwell (North Texas University), “Pixelated Authoritarian Nostalgia: The Use of Nostalgic Rhetoric of a Former Dictatorship in the Media”
Joan Cho (Wesleyan University), “The Curious Case of the Left in East Asia: Revisiting Democratic Success in the Third Wave”
Myunghee Lee (Michigan State University), “Authoritarian-Led Democratization Revisited: Democratic Commitments of Authoritarian Successor Parties Since Democratization”
Discussants: Chris Fariss (University of Michigan), Ji Yeon (Jean) Hong (University of Michigan)
5:10 – 5:20 p.m.
Closing Remarks
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Workshop Dinner
