At the beginning of the book

Reasons for studying the Constitution / What is the Constitution? / The term "Constitution" / The State and the Constitution: The Birth of the Constitution / The History of the Constitution / Our Constitution Today / Contents of the Constitution / The Constitution's Observers and Guardians / Constitutional Court and Impeachment / The Constitution and the Future

Q&A
Sentences I want to remember

The authority of state institutions to protect the fundamental rights of citizens
That is the core and purpose of the Constitution

The first step in studying the Constitution is to define it.
While thick constitutional law books often contain difficult and complex definitions, the author concisely defines the constitution as “the law governing the organization of state power and the distribution of authority.”
It is also referred to more abbreviated as the ‘Supreme Law on State Power.’
The point is that the Constitution is the law that defines and controls state power.
But it's also strange.
Isn't the Constitution meant to protect the fundamental rights of the people? The author argues that this is certainly true.
In fact, the Constitution of the Republic of Korea contains a long list of articles stipulating the basic rights of the Korean people.
These are very moving passages that elevate civic consciousness every time I read them.
However, the Constitution does not address all fundamental rights.
In fact, Article 37, Paragraph 1 of our Constitution stipulates that “the freedom and rights of citizens shall not be disregarded for reasons not enumerated in the Constitution.”
Therefore, the actual purpose of the Constitution is not to be a 'declaration of human rights' that lists the types of fundamental rights, but rather to establish the state and state institutions so that those fundamental rights can be protected, and to establish the authority of those state institutions.

“The power of a state apparatus is called ‘authority’ because it is not for the benefit of the organization itself, but rather a means to achieve the goal of guaranteeing the fundamental rights of the people.” (p. 62)

To help understand this point, the author provides an easy-to-understand explanation of the constitution-making process of major countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, France, Russia, Japan, and China, and examines the historical evolution of our own constitution.
It emphasizes that the history of the establishment and development of a modern state in which ordinary citizens have sovereignty and participate in the governance of the state is the path that the Constitution has taken.

Government agencies are role models that must follow the Constitution, and citizens are guardians that must protect the Constitution.
The Constitution is completed when everyone works together to protect it.

How should we treat such a constitution? We vaguely say we must uphold it, but what exactly does that mean? The author notes that the Korean word "jikida" (지끼다) carries both the meanings of "observe" and "protect."
So, the subject (exemplary subject) that must follow the Constitution without violating it is the state organ with power.
And it is the people who must act as guardians of the Constitution by monitoring and demanding that government agencies follow the Constitution.
In this way, the Constitution is connected to the lives of each citizen.

Therefore, the constitution can be said to be complete only when the guardian and the custodian play their roles.
If the state organs that hold power do not become the model of the Constitution, the Constitution is of no use.
This is because the place where the violation of the Constitution is judged and the place where punishment is imposed are also state institutions.
Our constitution stipulates that state institutions monitor and check each other, but since state institutions are also organizations run by civil servants, they are not always faithful to their role.
Without the role of guardian of the people, state institutions will quickly become accustomed to abusing their power and neglecting their duties.
This is why we must study the Constitution even as we live our busy lives.

“The role of the Constitution is to elevate the people and the nation to a level of value slightly higher than what could be achieved without it.” (p. 76)

It is no exaggeration to say that our modern and contemporary history is a process of dedicated effort to establishing and fostering a proper democratic nation.
In the process, the question has always been how to utilize the dangerous but necessary tool called power.
The Constitution, which has been revised nine times since the establishment of the Republic of Korea, has suffered each time.
At a time when constitutional amendments are being discussed once again, do we truly understand the Constitution? With the challenge of transcending the fervor of the squares into better systems, let's take the first step toward studying the Constitution.