Is the Myeonghan Realm related to South or North Korea?
The Myeonghan Realm is not in anyway related to the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, nor in any form of competition with them.
Does the Myeonghan Realm lay any claims over territories controlled by South Korea and North Korea?
The Myeonghan Realm does not lay any territorial claim over lands controlled by the Republic of Korea or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The Myeonghan Realm deems both Koreas as independent sovereign states whose sovereignties deserve recognition and respect.
Where is the Myeonghan Realm located?
The Myeonghan Realm, while being a micro-community consisting of real people who know and conduct affairs with each other, is primarily spiritual and aterritorial. However, the Realm denies the validity of the First Convention of Peking of 1860, under which the Manchu Daecheongguk (대청국) outrageously ceded to Tsarist Russia a 32-km sq Korean territory, Nokdundo (녹둔도), without the knowledge, let alone consent of the Imperial Myeong Kingdom of Joseon, the predecessor of the Daehan Empire, whose cultural legacy and imperial lineage the Myeonghan Realm inherits. Therefore, it can be said that, in principle, Nokdundo is a de jure possession of the Daehan Empire, whose micronational successor is none other than the Myeonghan Realm. The Realm, nonetheless, has absolutely no intention to exercise actual control over that piece of land by any means.
Does the Myeonghan Realm intend to expand its population and territory?
No. The Myeonghan Realm has no plans to expand its population, except through natural pregnancies amongst existing members. Additionally, the Realm has once and for all, decided against transitioning from an aterritorial micronation to a territorial one. In fact, were the Realm to abandon its aterritorial nature and undergo territorial expansion, it would contradict the Confucian doctrine of 'nothing beneath heaven does not belong to the Emperor' (하늘 아래 왕의 땅 아닌 곳이 없다) recorded in the Classic of Odes (《시경》).
Is the Myeonghan Realm a secessionist movement?
No, the Myeonghan Realm is not a secessionist movement. The Myeonghan Realm, is a spiritual realm, which does not secede from any existing territorial sovereign state in order to create a new territorial sovereign state. The Realm respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all Members of the United Nations, including the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and is firmly committed to not commenting on, let alone participating in macronational politics.
Does the Myeonghan Realm issue passports?
In general, no. The Myeonghan Realm issues diplomatic passports only to those working for His Majesty's Government whose responsibilities include visiting foreign micronations, and only when those micronations demand the use of diplomatic passports. It does not issue passports to ordinary citizens, including public servants whose work does not relate to external relations.
Does Myeonghan Citizenship entitle a person to diplomatic protection or assistance in any jurisdiction of the world?
No. Myeonghan citizenship does not entitle a person to diplomatic protection or assistance in any jurisdiction of the world. Myeonghans must abide by the laws of whichever jurisdiction or territory that they are located in.
Does Myeonghan Citizenship entitle me to live or work in Korea or the rest of East Asia?
No. Myeonghan citizenship does not entitle anyone to live or work in any territory controlled by any recognised member state of the United Nations. Officers of the Immigration Service of His Majesty's Government are not authorised to provide personal references to Myeonghan citizens seeking legal entry to any territorial sovereign state.
Do I need to be an ethnic Korean in order to become a Myeonghan citizen?
No. The Myeonghan Realm draws its members from all over the world, wherever they are based, without regard to their ethnicity and macronationality. The Realm opens up the opportunity for those who are not from an East Asian cultural background or never exposed to Confucian civilisation to become a member of an East Asian cultural and religious community. However, there is at least one caveat: every citizen of the Myeonghan Realm must choose for himself or herself a surname and name writable in Hangul and Hanmun with no more than three characters.
What then is the Myeonghan Realm?
The Myeonghan Realm is a Confucian religious community with micronational characteristics. In their authoritative monograph, published by Cambridge University Press, the legal scholars Harry Hobbs and George Williams define a 'micronation' in the following words: 'Whatever their character or form, micronations catalyse enquiries over the nature of statehood, international legal personality and legitimate authority. Their existence and persistence forces renewed consideration as to why some political communities are accepted as states, and others are not. Even if micronations are defined by their relationship to states, not all micronations are genuinely interested in statehood.' See Harry Hobbs and George Williams, Micronations and the Search for Sovereignty (Cambridge University Press, 2022) p. 218.
Why do you call yourself a 'crowned republic'? Is that not a contradiction in terms?
The Myeonghan Realm is a republic, because every citizen enjoys political equality, in the sense of being able to take part in one-person-one-vote House of Representatives General Election. It is for the House of Representative to choose the Prime Minister, and for the Prime Minister from amongst other duly elected Members of the Central Assembly to become Secretaries of the Realm of His Majesty's Government. The Central Assembly and the Government are both locked in a relationship of checks and balances with other constitutional institutions, including the Supreme Court of Justice, the Constitutional Court, the Office of Prosecutions, and the Commission of Vigilance, under the grand scheme of things outlined in the Constitution of the Realm.
However, the Myeonghan Realm is not an ordinary republic but a 'crowned' republic. Although major public powers are exercised by government officials hand-in-hand with elected representatives, a constitutional hereditary monarch exists as a ceremonial head of state, whose role is largely symbolic, devoid of all public powers. Constitutional monarchy provides stability and continuity in governance as the monarch embodies the nation's history, religion, traditions, and moral values, transcending political changes and partisan differences.
Why does the Myeonghan Realm refuse to recognise the legitimacy of the defunct Manchu Daecheongguk as a legitimate Confucian imperial dynasty of continental East Asia?
The Daecheongguk was founded by the Manchus, also known as the Jurchens, who were barbarians previously subject to the Myeong Empire and the Imperial Myeong Kingdom of Joseon, with a civilisation far behind that of Hwaha. What is worse, the Daecheongguk came to power in the Central Plains through military conquest and the brutal execution of the Yeonglyeok Emperor of Myeong (영력제) (r. 1646-1662) in 1662, rather than through the traditional Confucian method of a peaceful transferal of power through the rite of seon-yang (선양). The Manchus had their own distinct nomadic traditions, especially an attire and hair style imposed on the pain of death penalty that was irreconcilable with Confucian teaching about proper attire and etiquette. Therefore, Joseon had always seen the Daecheongguk as an illegitimate barbaric usurper's regime, as evidenced by Joseon's continued adherence and development of Myeong Empire attire, hair-style, and etiquette.