// records ·

Courthouse

Han SanghoonHan Sanghoon·Seoul·EN

The courthouse feels frozen in time—worn out and outdated. The law, in its current state, is like a dusty old book, untouched and irrelevant to the modern era. It’s a stark contrast to the cutting-edge institutions that exist in our time. The civil service desks are often dark, systems built but left unused for a variety of excuses. Who is responsible for the stagnation of our legal system? Perhaps it's the lack of life within—an inability to adapt to modern tools and manage institutions efficiently. Like many public institutions, success is not measured by innovation or profit, but by simply operating within the limits of an allocated budget. No wonder nothing improves. And when changes do happen, they feel clumsy and poorly executed—almost comically so. This is the kind of outcome you get when bureaucrats lacking any real understanding of the market take the lead.

If I had to name a government agency as outdated and inefficient as the courts, it would be the Military Manpower Administration. Their actions resemble a mass draft operation, sweeping up every last eligible male—worse than even the conscription rates during the World Wars. It’s a clear sign that their system has failed to plan for the future. There’s a popular saying that education should be planned a century ahead. Yet here we are, with mountains of population data that could have predicted today’s demographic challenges, and still, they scramble like children doing their homework at the last minute. The decline in birth rates didn’t happen yesterday—it’s been decades in the making. The number of men in their twenties today could have been projected twenty years ago, the moment they were born. And yet, those working "for the nation" seem blind to the future. They live not for tomorrow, but only to avoid being scolded today. That is their default mode.

This is why government plans and budgets lose their relevance in just five years. And when such people are handed money and power, it’s no wonder the nation becomes a playground for rats. Can you imagine rats running around in a well-managed, spotless building? Of course not. In a proper organization, even a single rat triggers an investigation. The source is found, the intruder removed, and those responsible are held accountable. That is what a sane and functional system looks like.

But the public sector is neither sane nor functional. If rats show up, the response is, “It’s customary. Let’s just live with it.” If capitalism drives people to work hard through individual ambition, competition, and inequality, then the public sector stands as its direct opposite. Here, excellence gains you nothing. Everyone lives within the bounds of their fixed salary. Tall people must shrink. Short people must stretch. The priority is to quietly fit into the frame and do only what’s assigned.

In a system that offers no rewards for effort or skill, people naturally turn to external income sources. Has there ever been a time in history when the public sector was free of bribery? Probably not. When public officials receive fixed benefits from the state, and everything—including their future—is determined by their budget, their remaining option is to seek wealth from the outside. Even now, many high-ranking officials quietly accumulate wealth through shady means. Insider trading. Legal loopholes. Shell companies. They know the law better than anyone, and they know how to abuse it. It’s hard to demand justice from a system that was never built to be just.

▩ END · posted · 2025-02-24 · seoul
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