Democratic civic education to realize democracy and protect political rights against extremism

The spread of extremism, which has recently become a global issue, has presented a new challenge to democracy. Extremism, when combined with populism as a political technique, uses the art of incitement that appeals to emotions rather than dialogue and compromise based on rational reasoning, distorts the structure of problems through simplification of discussions, stimulates fragmented personal selfishness, and claims radical content that conflicts with the public interest, turning the agitated masses into a support base. In particular, there are problems of such extremism becoming politically organized, forming groups, and becoming violent. In Korean society, exclusive nationalism, racial hatred, denial of the universal values of pluralism and human rights, and rejection of constitutional values are also emerging as issues. To protect the values of democracy from the spread of extremism, it is necessary to support democratic citizens in developing their civic identity. Simply prohibiting extremism is not enough to support democratic citizens. Citizens need to be enabled to explore and shape their own civic identity in response to factors that provoke collective radicalization. People should be able to avoid being manipulated by extremist political claims while being trapped in biased information within groups that share the same views. They need opportunities to develop civic abilities to think independently, critically evaluate, and communicate. Civic education is required to counter extremism, cultivate democratic citizenship, actively engage in social issues, and exercise the right to participate in governance. In democratic civic education, the important thing is to pursue the qualities of citizens who recognize constitutional values as a consensus on universal values and can actively realize them. In particular, the recognition of the subjectivity of individual personality derived from human dignity and value, mutual respect in relationships with others, and solidarity with the community should form the fundamental foundation of citizenship promoted by democratic civic education. Additionally, it is essential to base the methodology on directly experiencing the democratic political process, which involves drawing agreements and bringing about changes in life through debates and discussions on various social issues. Based on these points, we reviewed the recently proposed democratic civic education bill. Regarding the legislation of democratic civic education, it was considered necessary to first distinguish and legislate school civic education and general civic education separately. In terms of methodology, it was suggested to cultivate political judgment and democratic citizenship by providing information, verification, and expanding participation in the political process, and to ensure sufficient opportunities to directly experience the utility of democracy. Furthermore, it was deemed necessary to provide processes for discussions within various groups on the most contentious real-world social issues to support the exploration and establishment of citizenship, which is the goal of democratic civic education. The currently proposed democratic civic education bills primarily aim to establish the legal basis for institutionalizing democratic civic education, with detailed content intended to be determined through committees, etc. Nevertheless, it is necessary that the fundamental consensus on the citizenship and pursuit of constitutional values promoted through democratic civic education, and the methodological foundation, be specifically regulated in the basic principles of the bill.