[Reporter’s Notebook] The World Has Become a Bit More Equal

The year, truly filled with many ups and downs, is coming to an end. This year began in turmoil with the shocking event of the December 3 Martial Law, leaving us to ponder what our society has experienced and will remember. The destination of a year marked by countless acts of resistance and anguish ultimately arrived at the self-evident truth: “No one is above another, and no one is beneath another.”

The crisis of constitutional suspension caused by martial law led to the impeachment of the president, the execution of an arrest warrant, and, consequently, resistance and chaos. The intense conflicts that erupted during this process caused us pain, but, paradoxically, also evoked a desperate struggle to restore order. If blind obedience to absolute power fueled confusion, then the resolute defiance against unjust authority became the driving force that put our society back on track.

This outcome was achieved through a collective recognition that even a president one supports can make mistakes, an awareness that unlawful orders from a superior can be refused, and the courage to choose loyalty to the system over obedience to individuals. Even during last year’s martial law, tangible and intangible resistance to irrational orders prevented the crisis from escalating into a catastrophe and instead steered us toward restoring order.

The wave of change continued even after the change of government. The controversy over the abuse of power by a cabinet nominee dimmed the new administration’s launch, but it also led to cracks in the absolute power of lawmakers who could tell their aides to “pack up and leave” at any time. The dramatic downfall of the ruling party’s second-in-command, once believed capable of “making even birds fall from the sky,” amid a steady stream of allegations, was also a significant moment. These events reinforced the principle that both authority and power must be founded on the consent of the people. Public outrage over incomprehensible injustices broke through the solid walls of power and created momentum for change.

Change was also evident throughout society. The unique relationship between celebrities and managers, once likened to a “master-servant relationship,” was now being challenged by public standards. People no longer submit unconditionally to the names of celebrities or employers.

The world is changing. Technological advancements now allow both parties to have access to records of conversations, not just those who issue orders. Unjust instructions can now serve as “evidence of abuse of power,” and the monopoly on public discourse once held by the powerful has been broken by the rise of diverse media and social networking services, giving the weak a voice. Even in this transformed environment, the final obstacle that remained was a vague fear of authority. For a long time, that fear was mistaken for wisdom in silence.

However, witnessing the collapse of bastions of authority this year, we can feel that the world has truly changed. Rather than submitting blindly to authority, we are entering an era where people think and choose for themselves. The time of bowing down without question is coming to an end.