1932-1945년 대한민국 임시의정원의 모습과 그 헌정사적 의의

The Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was first established in Shanghai, China in 1919. From 1932 to 1940, however, it had to move from one city to another. Political ideas and different opinions divided independence activists groups and the operation of the Provisional Government stagnated. Things were also not easy for the Provisional Assembly of the Republic of Korea that allowed the Provisional Government a kind of democratic legitimacy as the parliament and had the authority to amend the Constitution of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. Despite the difficulties it faced, it supported the Provisional Government through the standing committee. As the situation improved, the Provisional Government could finally settle down in Chongqing, China in 1940. Right wing parties got consolidated into one political party, Korean Independence Party, and it served as a kind of a ruling party in the Provisional Assembly ever since. Left wing independence activists groups including Chosun People’s Revolutionary Party eventually decided to join the Provisional Government and the Provisional Assembly in 1942, and the members of these groups won some seats in the Assembly. It was meaningful from the perspective of constitutional history in that now the Provisional Assembly was able to represent more independence activists and more diverse opinions. This significant change led to the Constitution amendment process in which debates and compromises were made between the ruling party and the opposition parties. The text of the constitutional clauses about the Provisional Assembly did not change that much during the period from 1932 to 1945, but participation of the left wing groups raised its status as the representative body.