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Groove readers’ opinions and feedback Korea asks, ‘How are you doing, Thailand?’ Feeling homesick recently, I was surfing the web for news from my second home, Thailand. The Bangkok Post delivered a sur- prising report on the political chaos in the state, which I was totally ignorant of. The news read that the abusive amnesty bill was rushed through in favor of former Prime Minister Thaksin’s acquittal. To a certain extent, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the situation in Bangkok was somewhat similar to what was happen- ing in Seoul. South Korea is also facing social discontent at the moment. The government’s stern actions have motivated avant-garde protests by students. Korea’s first-ever female president, Park Geun-hye, has been glossing over her scandals, such as the intelligence agency’s electioneering and the forced construction of an un- wanted high-voltage power line in a rural province. Yet, when she dismissed 4,213 KORAIL union members involved in the strikes on Dec. 9, it overshot the mark. Due to the government’s harsh stance, a student from Korea University, Joo Hyun-woo, put up a heartfelt, handwritten poster. The poster’s title, “How are you doing?” struck a nerve, and re- sponsive postings have spread around the country. The purpose of this simple question was to arouse 20-somethings’ concern over their sociopolitical apathy. Both Thailand and Korea adopted democratic political systems, but we (Koreans) were not practicing it. It was saddening to see Korean student so despondent. Then Korean society split into two groups, like that of Thailand. Reds criticized the movement on behalf of president Park Ge- un-hye and Yellows supported the poster movement to argue against the new health care legislation. However, the appeal was never meant to form political confron- tation between Reds and Yellows. It only pleaded for democracy. Korean youngsters were not participating in politics. The poli- ticians were not reflecting the will of people and justified their actions under the false name of national loss. The country of de- mocracy was not conducting state affairs by democratic means. In Thailand, the voices of both the upcountry people and PDRC backers were not taken seriously. Rural people had no access to accurate information. Elite voters in urban Bangkok were una- ware of the reality on the ground. Democracy was missing in this Southeast Asian country as well. Thailand and Korea need to install democratic procedures to at- tain their goal of settling down the political discord. Thailand and Korea are great places in my memory. Apart from the love of K-pop, the two nations share a number of similarities, like the first-ever female leaders to take the highest rank in the nation and that Reds and Yellows are clashing over political opin- ions. Yet, more to the point, they are lands of democracy. Here and there, we have the right to speak. So, how are you doing, Thailand? By Kim Jae-heun, journalism undergraduate, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies THe INBoX