Since December, whether by the solar or lunar calendar, putting aside the joy of welcoming the New Year, Korea has been going through a period of political upheaval.

Every day, various media outlets report the same breaking news. The public is concerned about the peculiar political situation that even judicial judgments are required. No expert can easily predict when and how this unstable state will subside.

When I see some political figures appearing in the news, I think of the negative and positive synonyms regarding them: “politician” and “statesperson.” I learned these expressions when I was a student without voting rights. Here, the term “statesperson” is frequently used as a gender-neutral alternative to “statesman.”

In politics, two terms are habitually used interchangeably, but they carry distinct meanings. While both operate in the realm of governance, their motivations, approaches and legacies set them apart. A politician seeks power, often........

© The Korea Times