Who are Socio-politically Excluded? And How Do They React?

Abstract

In this article, we have looked into the political and social exclusion in Korean society; how serious it is, and in what direction to find a solution to the problem. Looking at the results of classifying the excluded and non-excluded groups from political and social participation, one in three members of our society is politically and socially excluded compared to the average group. Women are relatively more socio-politically excluded than men. Educational background also appears to be a factor that strongly influences socio-political exclusion. In terms of the number of household members, the degree of exclusion was higher in small families with three or less members. It was also confirmed that economic inequality is reflected in socio-political exclusion. Exclusion from socio-political participation had a significant impact on the ability and method to respond to personal and social problems. Socio-political exclusion is found to have a close correlation with the individual's social capital that can be mobilized to correct injustice in daily life. In addition, the functions of public and private institutions that can help when problems occur in daily life are more vulnerable to exclusion groups. There was also a difference in the responses to ‘there is no person or organization to seek help,’ and a vicious cycle is highly likely to appear in the future. This was similar to the case of correcting public injustice. Ways to solve this problem of exclusion from participation include expanding the political representation of the excluded groups, that is, securing diversity in representation. To this end, changes in the party system and the electoral system are necessary. However, before that, social consensus on why these changes are necessary and what kind of representation should be strengthened politically and socially must be preceded.