Seeking a beacon of democracy and progress for Asia

According to political scientists, political prisoners are one characteristic of a totalitarian country. On the other hand, in an advanced democracy, you cannot arrest your political opponents and throw them in jail at will. Running a country is different from running a military operation that allows you to terminate your enemy with extreme prejudice. Indeed, advanced countries do not have political prisoners these days, which are remnants of dictatorships that thrived across the globe half a century ago. 
In an underdeveloped country, censorship is imposed on the press, whether visible or invisible. Facts cannot be reported freely, and opinion leaders writing for newspapers are forced to practice self-censorship in order to avoid possible persecution or retaliation. In such countries, newspaper columnists are often threatened by those who have different opinions. In a totalitarian society, the freedom of press and speech is repressed, whether visibly or invisibly. 
A totalitarian country can also operate widespread surveillance. Citizens may feel they are constantly being watched by the government in a way that resembles George Orwell’s Big Brother. In an underdeveloped country, your telephone conversations, emails and text messages could be under surveillance by state intelligence agencies. Also, anything you say in public could be recorded and used against you. 
In an underdeveloped dictatorship, the separation of powers into three branches of government, which is the basis of democracy, is violated. A central administration controls the legislature and the judiciary in order to exercise tyranny. A few weeks ago, Chief Justice John Roberts in the US stated, “We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges.” That statement offers assurance – were it needed – that the US is an advanced country. In a proud dictatorship, no chief justice would dare declare such a bold, but natural statement.
An advanced country almost always accepts refugees from political persecution. If you refuse such individuals and knowingly send them back to face persecution for their beliefs, you are not a citizen of an advanced country. This is especially so if your country has signed an international pact recognising political refugees, which should be binding even when administrations change. Advanced countries tend not to nullify international treaties signed by previous governments. Otherwise, the country would end up losing credibility and standing in the international community. Offering a safe haven for political refugees and asylum seekers is one thing that distinguishes an advanced democracy from a dictatorship.
In a totalitarian society, group-oriented community spirit almost always overrides individuality. Individualism is frequently confused with egotism or selfishness and thus frequently disparaged and condemned. In such a society, diversity is not welcomed and differences are not tolerated. Minority opinions, too, are ignored and even threatened. Instead, uniformity is valued and praised like a mantra. 
In an advanced country, citizens think and behave rationally, and act in accordance with strong public standards. In an underdeveloped country, however, people are prone to becoming emotional and are easily swayed by collective sentiment. Oftentimes, emotional outbursts precede rational thinking or reasonable behaviours. Consequently, people become impetuous and public standards are frequently ignored, since they are regarded as something far less important than sharing emotions and accomplishing political goals by collective action.
In an underdeveloped nation, people’s primary concern is their own country, rather than the world. Daily news is usually dominated by domestic issues, rather than international developments. People in underdeveloped nations tend to dismiss global issues or their countries’ relationships with other countries. In an advanced country, however, public awareness of other countries, and ultimately the world, is much stronger. As a result, they have global perspectives, while public opinion in an underdeveloped country is usually myopic and parochial. Accordingly, advanced countries are usually “generous”, whereas underdeveloped ones are not. 
South Korea has already experienced the traits of a tyranny during its military dictatorship of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. But stable democracy, a thriving economy and cutting-edge technology have transformed the country into a model of development for Asia. 
That model, however, is now competing with an alternative vision for governance in the region. Strongman politics have returned with a vengeance in Southeast Asia, backed by the rise of the region’s superpower and undisputed totalitarian state, China.                                                                                                                                                 
This political shift demonstrates that democratic progress is not a historical inevitability. South Korea must remain on guard for characteristics of tyranny that still linger here, striving to overcome and put an end to them. Only then can we surely become a truly democratic advanced nation, and a regional beacon of freedom and progress. 

Kim Seong-kon is a professor of English at Seoul National University and a visiting professor at the University of Malaga in Spain.