Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Scorpion]

I've always been a bit surprised by the (apparently total) absense of a monarchist movement in Korea. The Japanese overthrew the Chosun dynasty when it conquered the peninsula. You'd think that, as part of the de-Japanization of the ROK after 1950, that some would advocate a return to the monarchy. Even today I never hear of any such initiatives for a 'constitutional' monarchy, one compatible with a democratic form of government. There's plenty of democracies out there with monarchs, so I'm surprised there's no interest in it here.

Any thoughts?

[fermentation]

Well the first few presidents were pretty much kings.

[Fox]

http://askakorean.blogspot.kr/2011/05/what-became-of-koreas-royal-family.html?m=1

[jvalmer]

Why would they want one? It would just be a very costly welfare scheme for someone lucky enough to be a descendant of some really powerful warlord from 1000 years ago.

[12ax7]

It's not as if Koreans were staunch monarchists to begin with.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donghak_Peasant_Revolution

[jvalmer]

It's telling that most of the world's monarchies fell within a span of 100 years, because they weren't all that popular. Most people were dirt poor and probably wouldn't have given two rats worrying about keeping, or bringing back a monarch.

[Jake_Kim]

The Yee (or Lee) Dynasty of Chosun was already in decline for corruption and incompetence to govern long before the whole Japanese scheme to take over Asia came into effect. Furthermore, the Yees didn't quite go down fighting or have the guts to take their monarchy in exile in another country in resistance - like the Norwegians did during WW2, for example - but they subjugated themselves to and obeyed the Japanese.

No reason for any former subjects/commoners to have love for them, really.

[atwood]

[NohopeSeriously]

We technically have a "royal" person in power right now. Her name is Park Guen-Hye and she is the President. The future South Korean president in the year 2040-ish would likely be her closest relative based on the rumors I heard in my church.

[tophatcat]

[andrewchon]

Korea can't have Constitutional monarchy because:
1. Japan is a constitutional monarchy and Korea has no intention of legitimizing the years 1910-1945.
2. North Korea is a quasi-monarchist state, and becoming a monarchy will legitimize the NK state, thus will make unification even harder.

[Scorpion]

[Captain Corea]

[NohopeSeriously]

My point was that both South Korea and North Korea have a serious monarchical-ish ambition in their politics. It's because both countries are very authoritarian by nature despite their democratic nature.

http://henrymakow.com/the_illuminist_hand_in_south_k.html

Here's an interesting read by an American expat in South Korea.

However I do admit that South Korea does have a monarchy in a unusual representation.

[RangerMcGreggor]