Hearing my father state, “I am grateful for the period of dictatorship in Korea,” baffled me. His gratitude to the authoritarian regime did not match his heartbreaking tale of surviving under oppression, protesting and demanding for freedom during the late 20th century in South Korea. Recalling his stories of marching out to the streets of Seoul against the oppressive government that brainwashed and massacred neighbors, I couldn’t fathom being grateful for the time that pushed my father to struggle for freedom, when he was just a few years older than I am today.
My father spoke this to me when we were watching the news about the first impeachment of the South Korean president in 2016, 25 years after he fought as one of the student protestors. Looking at the television, he continued, “If it wasn’t for the dictatorship in Korea, if we had not experienced the struggles and pains in authoritarian rules, we wouldn’t know how valuable it is that we are living in democracy.” His eyes lingered on the Guanghwamun street filled with millions of candlelights, juxtaposed to the image of the president handcuffed and ushered to the court by the police.
Thanks to the voices for democracy, I was born and grown up in a democratic country for my entire life. But it was only in the days surrounding the first president impeachment of the president had I realized what democracy truly means. In the candlelight vigil, Seoul was once again filled with people all across the social strata, demanding justice, the ultimate goal for South Korea. They had gathered for a common cause: condemning the political corruption of the regime and demanding the correct indictment and proper execution of the law. Holding a candle on one November winter night of 2016 in the Guanghwamun street, I saw faces of young children, teenagers, parents, and old couples all holding candles in one hand. I’ve never felt a stronger sense of belonging than that day, as one of the citizens standing up for our rights and our country.
Such experiences in my life of listening to the student democratic protests of my father and witnessing the impeachment of the South Korean president, led me to define democracy beyond the definition that I learned from the textbook. Indeed, democracy is a “government by the people”. But even more than that, it is a system that allows people regardless of their age, gender, or social class to actively express their will for the community that they are living in. In the end, it is the power to shape our own lives that democracy confers upon us.
As democracy is developed by people, it is by no means perfect. Perhaps, it is because of its flexibility which makes the system vulnerable to flaws. There is no exception to some of the most developed nations that remain deeply committed to democracy-- The United States of America suffers from partisan gerrymandering, a favor or biased political power of one party. Not only that, as a system that is meant to incorporate more opinions, it can make society vulnerable to fake news. It also would seem to make slower progress in decision-making since there is no ultimate authority.
Despite its flaws, however, democracy offers freedom which other political systems do not. While freedom to independently learn, think, and express own opinions would only be unattainable luxuries in non-democratic nations, these are the basic rights granted to anyone living in a democratic country. By allowing uncensored education, democracy empowers citizens to execute revolutionary ideas that develop the society for the greater good. Therefore, democracy is adaptable and progressive for changes and resilient to challenges.
Bibliography
Diplomat, Darcie Draudt for The. “The Future of South Korean Democracy.” – The Diplomat,
For The Diplomat, 14 Mar. 2017, thediplomat.com/2017/03/the-future-of-south-korean-democracy/.
KIM, Hyejin. “Online Activism and South Korea’s Candlelight Movement.” Dog Days: Made in China Yearbook 2018, edited by Ivan Franceschini et al., ANU Press, Acton ACT, Australia, 2019, pp. 224–227. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvfrxqcz.46. Accessed 18 Nov. 2020.
“The Gettysburg Address.” The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln, www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm.
Wines, Michael. “What Is Gerrymandering? And How Does It Work?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 June 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/us/what-is-gerrymandering.html.
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