Baeguk

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Citizens Increasingly Fed Up with "Great Lull", Call For Reform Mounts as Apathy and Discontent Fester
This year marks the third consecutive year for the KGB's national GDP contraction as income inequality continues to soar

The surprising endurance of the KGB's long and storied political system was once a case study for all aspiring liberal governments throughout Terra. Now, however, as economic woes and contraction continue to destroy a former Cinderella story, many Baegukese citizens have begun to express serious dissatisfaction with the Liberal-dominated parliamentary government as the economy fails to grow and working class citizens become increasingly unable to make ends meet. 

Housing, especially near the economic heart of the nation, the Greater Gongmangdo Metropolitan Area, has become unsustainably expensive, with just the nation's three largest real estate firms accounting for more than 76% of the area's portfolio. Increasing rents with the fall of real wages have essentially meant that many working families ofgen have to choose between a meal or having a roof over their heads. Recent liberal government Austerity cuts and tax reforms designed to benefit the wealthy have also meant that many welfare programs designed for low income families to use to supplement their incomes have been steadily disappearing.

Most importantly, economic growth, which has been slowing for decades, has finally seemed to stop. In fact, national GDP has contracted for 3 consecutive years as the government budget is bloated with waste and the right wing government is unable to tax the rich. The richest men in Baeguk, or the Centenarios (named so due to most making their fortunes around 40 years ago during the turn of the century), are almost 76% ethnically Draniano, with there being a heavy economic inequality between races. Just 1% of the population, mostly Centenarios, own more than an estimated 60% of the wealth in Baeguk today, with the lower 50% of the population estimated to be in possession of less than 15%. As more from the middle class fall into poverty and depression, calls for accountability for the predominantly Draniano elite have additionally contributed to a sense of deep resentment and Nationalism among the mostly Kyo working class.

Public approval of the government has been souring for decades, but as Baegukese people become increasingly desperate public order may soon collapse. A recent poll found that just 32% of those interviewed expressed approval of the current administration of PM Yoon Roun, with 51% expressing dissatisfaction. Just 12% of those said that they were optimistic that their children would live in a better KGB compared to 56% expressing pessimism to that statement, a hard break from previous generations of economic growth and hope. It is yet unknown how Baeguk can return from this economic death spiral, but what is clear is that it's not doing stability any favors.