What does the future of Korean politics look like Jung Yeon-tae, Chairman of the Innovation Forum for Nation, set great store by the need to introduce ‘cyber’ political parties to the country.
Jung gave an interview to The Korea IT Times on June 1. “Grafting South Korea’s advanced IT, mobile technologies onto the existing party politics will help root out the endemic ills of Korean politics, such as dictatorship, a lack of openness, miscommunication, illegalities and corruption.
Once cyber-based political parties have been created, the issues of miscommunication will be addressed and greater transparency will be ensured, therefore helping stamp out corruption,” Jung mentioned.
-What is cyberpolitics
It means running a political party by taking advantage of mobile technology. In the current system of party politics, political parties take care of things offline, from holding a meeting to putting a bill to a vote. In the process, they run into various kinds of inefficiencies, a solution to which is cutting-edge communications technologies obtained through advances in IT, the media revolution and the communication revolution.
By leveraging state-of-the-art communications technology in running a political party online, party members can participate in online opinion polls, cast their ballot online and make policy suggestions and decisions online. That is what cyberpolitics is all about.
Political parties capitalizing on cyberpolitics made a good showing at the recent elections held in other countries. An Italian cyber-based political party won 60 seats while a Spanish cyber party won 40 seats, thereby emerging as the third–largest political party in their respective countries. Given such results, the advent of cyber parties is inevitable.
-How will cyberpolitics change the political landscape Is South Korea close to adopting cyberpolitics
Once a cyber party has been formed, it has a chance to grow into a large party with 2 million to 3 million members. In particular, cyberpolitics will attract participation from young voters, so the paradigm of politics will be changed instantly.
Though a cyber party stops short of growing into one holding a majority, it is still capable of form a third political force. Efforts to exploit cyberpolitics can lead to the formation of the third-largest party within this year.
-Existing political parties may balk at cyberpolitics. What types of platforms are available now
Cyberpolitics is an emerging political force that cannot be stopped by politicians. Whether they like it or not, it's going to happen. I think we’ve already reached a point where cyber party members can recommend candidates for the next presidential election.
There are three kinds of platforms. First of all, existing political parties can incorporate a mobile platform into its framework. Party leaders and low-ranking party members can have reservations about cyberpolitics. However, it is easy for a political party to embrace cyberpolitics since the foundations for the creation of a political party have already been laid.
Second, new cyber parties can be formed. Since forming a new cyber party is different from creating a group focused on recruiting new members, it can be difficult for a new cyber party to become a political force. Besides, they can face resistance from existing political parties. Of the 27 political parties, only four have made it into the National Assembly.
Third, cyber parties can be formed on popular social media platforms like Facebook KakaoTalk, Twitter, etc.
What’s the function of a political party’s mobile platform
The process of joining a cyber party should be made simple and hassle-free. Membership fees should also be paid online, so the issue of online ID authentication should be dealt with. Online opinion polls and online voting systems need to be set up to serve the purpose of a cyber party.
Furthermore, holding online conferences will pave the way for healthy political discussions. Last but not least, mobile platforms will open the way for greater participation in politics and the policy-making process.
-Why do you strongly argue for the introduction of cyber parties to the nation
Though South Korea is the 10th largest economy in the world, the way our political parties are run is no different from the way mom-and-pop stores are run. It’s a shame that South Korea, home to some of the world’s top companies, performs badly in politics. There are problems with the internal operation of political parties and the observance of party rules. The nation’s political party nomination systems are sometimes preposterous.
When the nation moves towards a cyber party system, cyber party members can carry political influence and transparency in the process of making policies can be guaranteed.
