W8-1: Politics

1.     Summary
Politics is the process in which members of a group make decisions that affect the community. Politics is not only about governing a country, but also in various groups where human social activities occur such as businesses and religions.
There are many types of government. Monarchy grants monarch the supreme power of the state. It can be absolute or nominal. Monarchy is adopted in many countries, including Britain and Thailand, but the political power of monarchs is also limited. Democracy is a form of government in which the sovereignty of a nation is given to its citizens. In democratic countries, citizens have equal power and they can enjoy freedom. It is Totalitarianism that controls private acts for the benefit of the whole country. The group adopting this maintains power through propaganda and restricts individual freedom. Oligarchy is a form of politics in which a small elite group owns political power. Communist State is based on communist ideology and takes on a single party system of the Communist Party. Legally, additional parties can be created, but mainly the Communist Party is given a dominant role. Theocracy is a form of politics in which sacred beings are recognized as rulers.


2.     Interesting item
Information about the party system was interesting. The United States adopts a two-party system in which two major parties take turns in power, while Sweden adopts a multi-party system in which several parties compete and cooperate to win power. Korea was a multi-party country, with two huge parties taking most of the seats in the recent parliamentary elections, becoming a two-party system. In my opinion, the multi-party system is suitable for Korean society because having power from various parties helps to pursue diversity and is more likely to reflect minority opinions.


3.     Question to discuss
  The turnout in South Korea's 21st general election for the National Assembly in recent years stood at 66.2%, up about 8%p from last year and reaching a 28-year high. Why do you think Koreans voted more in this election?

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