The Cosmic Thinker’s and Essayist’s Notebook

06/07/2021

Experiencing both the U.S.–China trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic last year, people everywhere faced a situation that felt like a war without actual warfare—one that touched daily life and livelihoods alike. Amid such circumstances, regardless of whether one favored liberal democracy or social democracy, the common sentiment became: “Let’s at least preserve democracy.” And so we endured. Now, with the U.S.–China trade conflict largely settled and COVID-19 managed into a controllable domain through vaccines, it seems we have reached a moment to reflect once again on the nature of democracy today.

Sustainable Democracy is a concept I use to emphasize that democracy itself has no inherent “color” or fixed ideological hue. Looking at [Figure 1], one might well ask whether any of the components depicted are unnecessary for practicing or sustaining democracy. In fact, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) encompass all the essential elements for a functioning democracy. Because democracy is ideologically colorless, it can take the form of liberal democracy or social democracy depending on context. If we adopt and implement the idea of Sustainable Democracy as a way of refining the democratic system itself, I believe it could greatly contribute to building a richer, more inclusive society.

[Figure 1: Sustainable Development Goals – Source: IPS]

Previously, I argued that the new ethics and the “good” of the 21st century will ultimately converge upon the 17 SDGs. In line with these changes, I propose that Korea experiment with a model of Sustainable Democracy. Holding such a vision, I am convinced, would allow us to befriend any country in the world. I conclude with this note, attaching “The 4th Basic Plan for Sustainable Development” Parts 1 and 2, prepared jointly by relevant Korean government ministries in alignment with the Korean version of the SDG vision (K-SDG), along with [Figure 2] from the Ministry of Environment’s study on the domestic implementation and policy tasks of the UN SDGs—resources that, I hope, will support the realization of this vision.

[Figure 2: UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – Domestic Implementation Status and Policy Task Analysis – Source: Ministry of Environment]

[Reference List]

1. Shibli, A. (2021). Sustainable Development Goals: What to salvage from Covid-19. Inter Press Service (IPS). http://www.ipsnews.net/2020/05/sustainable-development-goals-salvage-covid-19/
2. Ministry of Environment. (n.d.). UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – Domestic Implementation Status and Policy Task Analysis.
3. Joint Government Ministries. (n.d.). The 4th Basic Plan for Sustainable Development.