IRIA News

South Korea is hosting the third Summit for Democracy in Seoul from March 18 to March 20, 2024, becoming the first country apart from the U.S. to host the event. The three-day will feature a range of activities, seminars, talks, and meetings under the theme ‘Democracy for Future Generations’. 

During his 2020 campaign, President Joe Biden initially introduced the concept of a Democracy Summit and has since urged the United States and its allies with similar values to demonstrate that democratic systems benefit societies more effectively than autocracies. The first and second annual Summit for Democracy was hosted by Washington in 2021 and 2023.

Senior officials attended this year’s event in Seoul, including British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, as well as the foreign ministers of Ecuador, Gambia, Indonesia, Guyana, and Mauritius, along with other leaders at the ministerial level.

The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is participating in the summit as a co-host, spoke at the ministerial conference on the first day of the summit. “Revitalizing democracy will also require us to shape the technological future, that’s inclusive, that’s rights respecting, directed at driving progress in people’s lives,” Blinken said in his inaugural speech.

The third #SummitForDemocracy was held in the Republic of Korea today. At this inflection point in history, the United States and our partners are committed to leading the world toward a more peaceful, prosperous future for all built on democratic values. pic.twitter.com/fcOdUUXVcW

— Department of State (@StateDept) March 18, 2024

“As authoritarian and repressive regimes deploy technologies to undermine democracy and human rights, we need to ensure that technology sustains and supports democratic values and norms,” he said.

Blinken highlighted that “Under the summit banner, over the past three years, we have risen together to meet this challenge.  More than 100 governments from every part of the world have committed to taking concrete action to strengthen and renew democracy both in their countries, but also working together to tackle shared threats around the world.”

He said that the summit seeks to secure the pillar of democratic values all around the world to tackle issues like climate change, unreasonable economic competition, social rights, and food insecurity.

“Revitalizing democracy will also require us to shape a technological future that’s inclusive, that’s rights-respecting, directed at driving progress in people’s lives,” he said.

Threats of modern technologies

Aligned with the theme of this year’s summit, several of the speeches made by the participants were focused on protecting democratic values in the face of the changing geopolitical landscape.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol characterized fake news and disinformation fueled by AI and digital technology as major threats to democracy, while certain attendees of a global summit accused Russia and China of engaging in malicious propaganda campaigns.

As the 2024 summit commenced, the Biden administration revealed that six more countries were joining the U.S.-led coalition aimed at combating the improper use of commercial spyware. These countries include Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Poland, and South Korea along with the existing coalition, which encompasses Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Taiwan’s participation

Representatives from Taiwan have been included in all three summits for democracy despite Beijing’s backlash. This year, Taiwan Digital Minister Audrey Tang participated in the event through a video link. Although it was mentioned before her speech that Tang was speaking in a personal capacity, her involvement was not publicly disclosed beforehand by either Taiwan or South Korea.

South Korea has been strengthening its relations with Washington while also aiming to avoid significant repercussions on its extensive economic connections with China. China asserts sovereignty over Taiwan, but the island opposes this stance.

China lashed out at South Korea for inviting Taiwan to take part in the conference. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said efforts to “expand the space for Taiwan independence activities under the banner of democracy and human rights” were doomed to fail.

#FMsays Using democracy as a tool or weaponizing democracy is contradictory to the spirit of democracy, and today's world needs unity and cooperation rather than division created in the name of democracy, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said as the third Summit for Democracy… pic.twitter.com/HgKW3mE3VY

— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) March 18, 2024

“What the world needs today is not creating a divide in the name of democracy,” Lin said at a press conference. “China sternly urges the South Korean side to abide by the one-China principle and stop providing a podium to the Taiwan independence forces,” he said.