June 10 is a significant date for South Korea. On this day, 39 years ago, the ruling military government announced a handpicked presidential appointment that would bypass constitutional reform. This led to student-led demonstrations that quickly grew into a massive national movement – ushering democratic reforms that transformed the country to a resilient democracy that it is today.
The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) was in Seoul last 10-11 June 2026 to participate in the commemoration of this historical milestone on the sidelines of the Korea Democracy Foundation’s (KDF) 2026 Global Forum and Global Democracy Coalition (GDC) Asia Regional Forum 2026.
With the theme, “The Future of Democratic Solidarity: Transitional Justice, AI and Cross-Border Cooperation”, the KDF 2026 Global Forum featured keynote speeches from Dr. Shih Haeran, Professor in the Department of Geography at Seoul National University and Dr. Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao of the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation. Dr. Shih’s speech examines the geography of democratic crisis through plaza politics in South Korea, while Dr. Hsiao focused on the key actors in Asia that can lead democratic cooperation.
“Democratic nations must deepen cooperation among themselves and with like-minded partners around the world”, said Dr. Hsiao. “Such cooperation is essential for protecting sovereignty and security, countering foreign interference, strengthening constitutional governance and democratic institutions, upholding the rule of law, safeguarding political freedoms and civil liberties, and defending free media, religious freedom, and autonomous civil society.”
Relatedly, the GDC Asia Regional Forum 2026 focused on the theme, “Navigating Democratic Transitions: Emerging Gaps and Opportunities.” CALD representatives who spoke in the event included former chairperson and Cambodian senator, Mardi Seng, and the network’s executive director, Lito Arlegue.
Seng made his intervention in Panel 1: Democracy Promotion in Asia; Stakeholders and Their Roles. To contextualize his presentation, he first discussed democratic challenges in the region, and then made a pitch for stronger cooperation and support from Asia’s most advanced democracies – particularly South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
Arlegue, on the other hand, presented in Panel 3: Navigating Democratic Transitions in the Age of AI. He tackled the deeper challenges of AI to democracy, particularly the rise of “algocracy” and the decline of social trust.
“AI definitely poses immense challenges to democracy, but as a Liberal, I also believe in the power of technology to positively transform societies – and our democracies”, Arlegue said. “We must use AI to reinvigorate democracy and make it more responsive, more deliberative and more worthy of public trust.”
The back-to-back events were held at the National Museum of Korean Democracy. Opened in 2025, the space is meant to commemorate the achievements of Korean democracy and the democratization movement.
Categorised in: News Article
This post was written by CALD
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