Violence Does Not Need To Be the Answer - How South Korea Embraces Peaceful Methods of Discourse over Social Issues through the Constitution

Abstract

In an era where democracies are the most common form of government in the world, the question remains on how to successfully accommodate the issues of society. While democracy encourages public participation in national politics, many governments still struggle with how to cope with rising public participa tion, where a popular form of participation is through social movements. Often times, governments resort to violence to stifle social movements, but this violent clash does not need to be eternal. Perhaps there is a solution to this situation, where the constitution and legal bodies that derive their influence and power from the constitution can provide the platform for controlled and peaceful discourse between the public and political elite on social issues. In South Korea, the pream ble of the constitution and the constitutional court have been powerful legal tools that have allowed for peaceful discourse over social issues and have entrenched the South Korean nation into utilizing peaceful forms of discourse to settle griev ances. This paper will explore the historical evolution and foundations of this peaceful South Korean system and present lessons that could be adopted by other democracies around the world to promote peaceful communication between the public and political elite.