This book contains the modern history of the Republic of Korea, starting with the enactment of the Constitution on July 17, 1948, and continuing through the 9th amendment to the Constitution, which led to the current Constitution of the 6th Republic.
In other words, the constitutional amendment was not just a legal issue, but it was started with the understanding and recognition of the modern history of the Republic of Korea itself.
And I thought deeply about why we are amending the Constitution.
The reason for the constitutional amendment was to reflect the changing values ​​and political situation of the time and to prepare for a new future.
Therefore, the constitutional amendment was history.
This book records the historical facts contained in the process of establishing and revising the Constitution.

The government of the Republic of Korea was established on August 15, 1948, based on the Constitution.
The Constitution has very important implications for understanding the development of democracy and modern history in the Republic of Korea.
Therefore, it is necessary to have a precise understanding of the process of establishing the Constitution and the characteristics and meaning contained in the Constitution.
If we examine the reasons for and the revised contents of subsequent constitutions based on the Constitution, we will be able to grasp the development of democracy in the Republic of Korea and the modern history of the Republic of Korea at a glance.
--- p.14

In the Yu Jin-oh constitutional draft, the national name was written as ‘Joseon’ and the people were referred to as ‘people.’
There was a heated debate regarding the national name in the Constitutional Drafting Committee on June 8th.
Finally, a vote was held.
As a result, the Republic of Korea received 17 votes, the Republic of Koryo received 7 votes, the Republic of Joseon received 2 votes, and Korea received 1 vote, so 'Republic of Korea' was decided as the national name.
Among the members of the Constitutional Drafting Committee, the group that urged the people, including Lee Cheong-cheon, supported the 'Republic of Korea' favored by Syngman Rhee, while the Korean Democratic Party supported the 'Republic of Goryeo'.
The main reason given by those who insisted on using the name of the country as the Republic of Korea was that “in order to receive compensation from Japan, the claim can only be made under the former name of the country, the Republic of Korea.”

--- p.48

The Constitution focused on political democracy, including guaranteeing the people's basic rights.
Among the subsequent laws enacted after the establishment of the Republic of Korea government, the one that most closely impacted the basic rights of the people was undoubtedly the 'National Security Act'.
Until the establishment of the Republic of Korea government and the Yeosu-Suncheon Uprising, the influence of leftist forces was considerable throughout society.
The government enacted the National Security Act as a legal mechanism to comprehensively suppress and destroy the remaining leftist forces following the Yeosu-Suncheon Uprising.
Thus, the National Security Act was enacted and promulgated as Law No. 10 on December 1, 1948.
And even as of 2023, its power remains immense.

--- p.114

The core of Article 1 of the Constitution, ‘The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic,’ is a republic.
In a democratic country that adopted a republican system, Syngman Rhee longed to become an eternal monarch.
How contradictory.
The Constitution was enacted to prevent arbitrary exercise of power by those in power.
The core of legislative democracy is the principle of government in which state power is exercised according to the constitution established by the sovereign people.
As a monarch with a completely different ruling ideology from the Democratic Republic of Korea, Syngman Rhee ruled for 12 years.
The end of that rule was in the hands of the people.
The Constitution and constitutional order of the Republic of Korea danced around at the whim of those in power.
It was not a normal country.
History must condemn the person who made the Republic of Korea's national system abnormal.
But he could not be convicted.
We have failed to liquidate the wrong history.
So, a person of power like Syngman Rhee emerged again.
The First Republic was a time when the ruling structure of Syngman Rhee, by Syngman Rhee, and for Syngman Rhee dominated to the point where it was embarrassing to declare a “democratic republic.”
--- p.170

The April 19 Revolution began with the blood of high school students.
The student protests began on April 18th and culminated in a declaration by the faculty on April 25th. However, we must never forget that it was the practice and action of teenagers for democracy that brought us to where we are today.

--- p.238

The April 19 Revolution expanded political freedom and gave birth to the Second Republic, a parliamentary cabinet system faithful to parliamentary democracy.
The Second Republic maintained a normal constitutional system for less than a year.
In that respect, it is not easy to evaluate the Second Republic.
However, the Constitution of the Second Republic is something to think about in the Republic of Korea today.
The legal reservation clauses in several individual rights provisions were removed, and a new provision was added stating that even when restricted by law, the essential content of freedoms and rights cannot be violated.
After experiencing a one-man, one-party dictatorship, a multi-party system and a cabinet responsibility system through a bicameral National Assembly were implemented.
It established regulations to protect political parties so that they could carry out normal political activities, and stipulated the political neutrality of public officials.
To democratize the judiciary, the election system for the Chief Justice and Justices of the Supreme Court was introduced, and the duties and composition of the Constitutional Court were specified to control unconstitutional situations.
To ensure fair election management, the Central Election Committee was elevated to a constitutional body.
--- p.275

The students' unification movement, which sang, "Let's go, to the North! Come, to the South! Let's meet at Panmunjom!" and "Whose land is this that we can't go back and forth?", did not last long.
On May 16, 1961, Park Chung-hee's military coup broke out.
Under the military government that adopted anti-communism as its national policy, the unification movement was relegated to the exclusive domain of the military government.
Any discussion of unification other than by Park Chung-hee was perceived as anti-state and anti-system activity and was immediately punished.
Against this backdrop, the fabricated incident was the People's Revolutionary Party incident in August 1964.
--- p.386

From Park Chung-hee's May 16 coup to the eight years of the Third Republic he led, there was no democratic republic.
Park Chung-hee followed the same path to ruin that Syngman Rhee had taken.
In October 1969, a constitutional amendment was made to allow Park Chung-hee to run for a third term.
And in the 7th presidential election in April 1971, Park Chung-hee said, “I will never again ask the people for their votes.”
Park Chung-hee, who was elected president, did not beg for votes from the people as he had said.
Other measures were taken to ensure permanent rule.
It was a trampling on the ‘democratic republic’ and a destruction of the constitutional order.

--- p.432