Conclusion: Old Flaws and New Challenges

This concluding chapter teases out some of the shared concerns of the authors of this volume with regard to the pre-exiting “old flaws” of Northeast Asia’s democratic societies; the identity and needs of vulnerable groups within South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, whose interests are not adequately defended by regional governance; and the new authoritarian challenges to be found across all three countries. It assesses problems related to political culture and the use of language and rhetoric. It explores common structural impediments and the weakness of opposition parties. It looks at which vulnerable groups are being failed by democratic governance. Finally it addresses the rise of the new authoritarianism in Northeast Asia.