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'Squid Game' and ‘musyawarah’: Democracy with compromise and negotiation

South Korea’s political culture is frequently trapped in a binary mindset where “different opinions are considered wrong”.

Junyoung Park (The Jakarta Post)
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Seoul
Sat, January 18, 2025

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'Squid Game' and ‘musyawarah’: Democracy with compromise and negotiation Facing music: Impeached South Korean President Yoon Sukyeol arrives on Jan. 15, 2025 at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) in Gwacheon in the Seoul Metropolitan Area. (Reuters/Korea pool)

I

n Netflix’s Squid Game Season 2, participants are asked this question at the end of each round and must vote either O to continue or X to stop. Contestants, driven by financial desperation, risk their lives in the game, with rewards growing as the danger escalates. The voting outcomes, decided by razor-thin margins, often force hundreds of players back into deadly games based on a single vote.

The scenes depicting the continuation of the game by just one vote are a symbolic critique of the limitations of majority-rule democracy. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk explained that the OX voting system was designed to highlight the vulnerabilities of representative democracy, questioning whether it is fair for a narrow margin of votes to grant unchecked authority. This critique resonates deeply with the realities of modern democracy, particularly in South Korea.

South Korea’s political situation bears an uncanny resemblance to the premise of Squid Game. President Yoon Suk-yeol was elected in the 20th presidential election by a margin of just 0.73 percent, roughly 250,000 votes. Despite this narrow victory, his governance revealed the stark shortcomings of winner-takes-all democracy. He refused to collaborate with the opposition, exacerbated tensions with the majority opposition in the National Assembly and vilified dissenting voices.

These tensions culminated in an extreme turn on the night of Dec. 3, 2024, when President Yoon abruptly declared martial law. The announcement shocked citizens, and the National Assembly immediately moved to nullify it. However, the military, acting under Yoon’s orders, blocked the assembly and attempted to detain opposition lawmakers, further escalating the crisis. Braving the bitter winter cold, citizens stood unarmed against tanks and armed troops. Just two and a half hours after martial law was declared, the National Assembly succeeded in overturning it.

This event laid bare the inherent flaws of majority-rule democracy. Despite winning by a margin of just 0.73 percent, President Yoon governed as if he had the support of 100 percent of the population, excluding and suppressing opposing voices. During the martial law declaration, Yoon defended his actions, stating, “I will eradicate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and restore order to the nation.”

In the aftermath of the crisis, President Yoon faced impeachment proceedings. By the end of 2024, the opposition-led National Assembly had passed an impeachment motion. The Constitutional Court is now deliberating on the case, while prosecutors have launched investigations into Yoon and his associates. However, Yoon has refused to cooperate with the investigations, instead inciting his supporters and deepening societal divisions.

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In one notable instance, he wrote to his supporters: “I am watching your efforts live on YouTube [...] We will win! Let us keep up the fight!”

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