Tracing the foundations of South Korea's political system

Suh Hae-sung, director of Seoul City's March 1 commemoration project, walks visitors through an exhibit of historical documents tracing the early development of Korea's democratic government, Monday. / Korea Times photo by Lee Suh-yoon

By Lee Suh-yoon

"Korea is neglectful of its modern history records," says Suh Hae-sung, director of Seoul City's commemoration project for the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement.

Suh, better known as a writer, likes to put together historical archives that fill in missing narratives in what the country collectively remembers of its modern past. Two of his recent archives presented to the public a look into Korean soldiers' killing of civilians during the Vietnam War and the lives of inmates at a 40-year-old Seoul prison shut down in 2017. He was also in charge of the recent addition of independence fighters' names to bus stations near the figures' former residences.

His latest exhibit ― part of Seoul City's March 1 commemoration project ― pieces together records as far back as the mid-1800s, tracing the very roots of the democratic government system in place in South Korea.

The records range from an 1884 Korean newspaper clipping introducing the three way separation of powers in western states to the very first draft of Korean Constitution written in 1919, trumpeting democratic representation and equality of the people. One of the most valuable documents on display is the earlier draft of the provisional government's 1941 "Principles and Politics for the Establishment of Korea," Suh says.

"It outlines in great detail the kind of nation independence fighters dreamed of," he says with excitement. "One of the most striking parts is a clause claiming the state should nationalize the property of pro-Japanese factions in the country. If that actually happened, Korea's political history after independence would have been very different."

The archive is on display at Seoul Urban Architecture Center next to Donuimun Village until Dec. 8. The records had been scattered across different institutions and mostly inaccessible to the public. A sizeable number of records survived through the efforts of the descendants of Cho So-ang, a prominent independence fighter. The records ― and copies visitors can take ― are placed in wooden drawers as a form of social critique. The public must finally be active participants, pulling out the individual drawers to find records that have long been neglected.

Suh says the previous lack of attention to these primary sources is due to political factors in the 1950s and 60s that made it taboo to study the provisional government and some independence fighters.

"It stunted our public knowledge and debate in the history of our democratic republic," he says.

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