Korea’s “Cherry Blossom Uprising” has a deep significance to democracy, writes Professor John Keane. “It points to the need to redefine democracy … and to recognise that democracy failure happens when arbitrary power is allowed to flourish in the big-money realm of capitalist markets.
It’s now an open secret in Korean society that business tycoons who made donations to foundations run by the president’s friend couldn’t easily reject demands from the president or her aides, for fear of government reprisals. But what’s also clear is that the family-controlled “chaebol” conglomerates are themselves rotten boroughs.
www.theconversation.com/the-cherry-blossom-uprising-monitory-democracy-in-korea-74427
Michael West established Michael West Media in 2016 to focus on journalism of high public interest, particularly the rising power of corporations over democracy. West was formerly a journalist and editor with Fairfax newspapers, a columnist for News Corp and even, once, a stockbroker.