Northeast Asia

I find worrisome this glorification of South Korea’s protests. If governance structures were working properly then citizens normally would be channeling their concerns through institutional processes—reaching out to their elected leaders, going to the courts. Spilling out into the street is a sign of political dysfunction. Americans should not at all envy the fact that Koreans find resolution though these massive protests.

The protest movement [in South Korea] actually became quite powerful [after authoritarian rule]. People no longer feared being locked up, being tortured, or potentially sacrificing their lives.