Privileged caste

“Are there really genes of royal family?” It was a famous quote of Manjeok, a slave of Choi Chung-heon in the Goryeo military regime. He said this slogan to persuade other slaves to change their mind when he tried to take down their masters and to take high ranking positions. However, his speech was originated from Chen Sheng who led the peasant revolt in the end of the Qin Dynasty of China. Manjeok’s dream, a world without caste, was finally materialized almost 700 years later when the Gabo Reform took place.

Article 11 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea begins with a statement that all citizens shall be equal before the law. Article 8 of the first 1948 constitution of Korea also stipulates that all citizens shall be equal before the act. It has been said that the concept of "equal before the law" came from Christian thought of "all men are created equal before God" in medieval times. Ordinary people do not realize the principles on equality, however. According to the Constitutional Court's survey last year, the 28th anniversary of its establishment, eight out of 10 respondents said that the equality provision of the Constitution is not properly observed.

Kim Dong-sun, the third son of Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn and former professional horse rider, was arrested on Saturday after he slapped bar employees in Gangnam and damaged a police car while he was taken to a police station on Thursday. He and Chung Yoo-ra, the daughter of President Park Geun-hye's confidante Choi Soon-sil, won the gold medal in the team dressage competition at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. It sounds strange to hear that the two are judged by the law at the same time. The authority decided to arrest him regardless of his wealth and influence. In the past, people would talk about “all mighty is the dollar” whenever they saw children of wealth families were released after causing social problems.

Article 11 (2) prescribes that no privileged caste shall be recognized or ever established in any form. "Privileged caste" is outdated and does not match with the 21st century. There is a need to change this term when amending the constitution. However, few rich and too many poor, hierarchical relationship, and invisible class still exist today. After the Choi Soon-sil scandal, people began to think that the president should be also punished according to the law, if she fails to fulfill her duty. This is one bright side of the political scandal that no one knows when it ends.