임시정부헌법의 역사적 의미와 대한민국 헌법의 제정

Abstract

The History of Constitution is the legal elucidation of Constitution which has been formed and developed in the history and through which,like the windows, functions so that we may foresee the future. To understand the history of constitution rightly is not only to collect information on historical facts, but also to establish the standard to formalize the self-identity of the nation and the state, and to become the important foundation for the development strategies of the future. As the importance of consideration in terms of constitutional history has become widely recognized, not a small number of events has been held to re-appreciate the historical significance of the establishment of constitution from its conception to the present day passing its 60th anniversary. However, there hasn't yet been many number of serious studies made to examine the significance of the Constitutional History linked to the Constitution of provisional(interim) government. Although the present constitution revised in 1987 clearly states that “(it)..., upholding the cause of the Provisional Government of Republic of Korea”, what does the 1948 constitution, which stood silent without any reference on the subject really indicate? How can we evaluate the ideological and practical influence of the Constitution of provisional government on the establishment of constitution in 1948? How should the refusal to consider the Constitution of provisional government until now be understood?Based on such critical points and fully conscious of them, I considered the historical significance of the Constitution of the provisional government and its influence on the establishment of the Constitution in 1948. To find the link between the Constitution of provisional government and the establishment of the Constitution in 1948, first of all, I closely examined the birth-process of the original constitutional documents with the aid of the import of modern legislative system from the late Chosun Dynasty and its meaning. After this explanation, the creation of the provisional government, the establishment and revision of its Constitution and their historical significance and limits are reviewed successively. Such examinations led this study to be connected to, and finally could be concluded as to the evaluation of the historical significance of the Constitution establishment in 1948. The conclusion of this study is that while the idea and spirit of constitution of provisional government has been partly adjusted and restricted, its main idea and spirit has been continued to present day, existing through the establishment of the Constitution, through which also brings importance in that we can guarantee the legitimacy of our history. As a matter of course, there remains still sharp differences in opinions on what the legal effects would be of the provision that we admit and uphold the cause of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea as stated in the Preamble to the Constitution. However, at least the succession of its idea and spirit cannot be questioned. It is also worthy of notice that the idea and spirit of the Constitution of provisional government had been formed by the agreement between the left-wing and right wing before the Korean peninsula was divided into theSouth and the North korea after the emancipation from the Japanese occupation. In the process of the unification of korea when the conflicts of political nature will arise, the idea and spirit of the Constitution of provisional government may be utilized as a breakthrough. In this respect,the declaration of the Preamble to the Constitution which states that it upholds the cause and legitimacy of the provisional government should not be interpreted to exclude the North Korea (exclusively), but it would be more desirable to be understood as to establish the common foundation for the South and North Korea together.