When analyzing how free a country is, there is a spectrum where the state can fall with one end being not free, the other end it is free and partially free to be right in the middle. If you look at North and South Korea, even though they were one country until they split in 1945, they are on very opposite sides of the freedom scale. North Korea is one of the most oppressive and authoritarian states in modern history, while South Korea enjoys democracy and great freedom. Meanwhile, the Philippines, a neighbor of the Koreas, is in the middle of an authoritarian and democratic regime and is considered a semi-authoritarian regime. The main characteristics that cause such great variability between these countries can be generally considered in terms of the electoral process, branches of government and civil liberties. As of 2013, North Korea, South Korea, and Thailand each diverge significantly and significantly in these categories, thus leading them to wear the different labels of "Democracy", "Authoritarian", and "Semi-Authoritarian". ". Korea has been the butt of jokes, Internet memes, and heavy criticism from much of the free world, and for good reason. With the passing of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in 2011, the world watched with uncertainty as to the succession of his successor and youngest son, Kim Jong-un, and tensions went from bad to worse. Fast-forward two years to 2013, and North Korea continues to boast a 7 on Freedom House's “Freedom in the World” index, with 1 being the best and 7 being the worst—a place they have consistently held since the beginning of "Freedom". in the world” began in 1998. It is easy to justify why North Korea is an authoritarian regime. First, the… medium of paper… has all the qualities that make for an authoritarian regime, and shows no signs of making any progress otherwise. Meanwhile, just across the border is South Korea, the territorial country that escaped. South Korea was founded in 1948, shortly after the schism that occurred during World War II. Years later, in 1987, the country began the transition to democracy (Freedom House, South Korea, 2013). South Korea's score on the "freedom scale" is almost opposite to what it can get from its Northern counterpart: 1.5. Furthermore, unlike North Korea, South Korea's rating has seen dramatic improvements. From the beginning of the Freedom Index in 1998, until 2004, the country had a score of 2. South Korea is a great example of democracy, as it has a directly elected president who serves only one term. five-year term. and a directly elected National Assembly with a four-year term.