I love my country, Republic of Korea.

Throughout my time abroad, I always corrected someone when they asked me whether I was Chinese or Japanese.

Throughout my time in the States, I learned to draw the map of Asia and point to where my country is.

I learned to keep myself updated with the current events in Korea, let alone its contentious issue with the Northern neighbors.

I simply love my country.

I never shied away from introducing its beautiful nature, going on and on about its unforgettable history, and anything else I can boast about my small country in Eastern Asia.

Recently, however, things changed.

I couldn’t answer when my friends asked, “Why did your former president commit a suicide?”

I couldn’t explain why I wasn’t happier about having the first female president in my country.

I couldn’t say anything when people asked, “Why couldn’t your government save those kids from the ferry accident?”

My country, to me, became something that was far more rotten and embarrassing than it has ever been.

The media does not present the same level of honesty and truth as it used to.

The government continuously conceals its mishaps yet flawlessly advertises meaningless gossips.

The president shuns the voices of the people yet relies on the words of her incompetent cabinet.

On this Parents’ day in South Korea, who pushed the childless parents of the victims out to the streets to simply ask questions to the authorities?

As the higher powers of South Korea cover themselves with the protection of media and lines of police, the bereaving parents are more exposed than ever, still holding pictures of their children.

Please listen to what they have to say. Please show what it means to be a democratic country. Please show why my small country still remains sovereign among the powerful nations.

I miss those times when I proudly show off my country: only a few years ago.