The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic

Gonghwachoon is the name of Korea’s first Chinese restaurant, which literally means spring of the republic. Gonghwachoon’s original name was Sandong hall, but the restaurant changed its name in 1912 to honor Asia’s first republic established by Sun Wen after overthrowing the Quing dynasty of China in that year. Republic of Korea is a republic. The easiest way to understand the true meaning of a republic is to exclude what is not a republic. First of all, a republic is not a monarchy.

The 2013 movie "The Attorney," which is based on true stories of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun during his early days, has an impressive scene where actor Song Gang-ho in the main character role shouts at a court, “The Republic of Korea shall be a democratic republic. The sovereignty of the Republic of Korea shall reside in the people!” During rallies against import of the U.S. beef due to concerns over a possible outbreak of mad cow disease in 2008, protestors often sang a song titled "Republic of Korea Constitution Article 1." The movie director intended to remind audiences of the protest with that scene. This time, ruling Saenuri floor leader Yoo Seung-min cried out that the Republic of Korea is a democratic republic, while announcing his resignation on Thursday. It sounded unusual as such words came from a floor leader of the ruling party, not the opposition.

Yoo indirectly criticized that Korea is not a monarchy and it is wrong for a floor leader elected by the Saenuri party members to quit under the pressure of President Park Geun-hye. It is inappropriate to force out a floor leader even without voting from the lawmakers. Unfortunately, Yoo’s statement does not contain any explanation or excuses on the reason why he resigns. The statement is not consistent with Yoo’s saying that he has long wanted to quit. The statement is read that he is forced to quit but cannot agree with.

The root word of "republic" is the Latin word "res publica," which means a thing of the public. A democratic nation with a king, like the U.K., is called as a commonwealth instead of a republic. This also means a thing of the public. In a republic, the nation is public goods. President’s expressing personal emotion citing "politics of betrayal" at the Cabinet meeting or the ruling party floor leader’s denial of his responsibility for confusion in the state affairs due to his wrong decision are not consistent with the concept of a "republic."

pisong@donga.com