Congratulations, Korea, on another display of democracy with your recent elections. I lived in Korea at a time when the practice of democracy was in question, but today, in some ways, Korea is more democratic than my own country, the United States.

What is the evidence? How can I say such a thing? There are several factors I look at. In the last presidential elections, for example, in Korea the margin of victory was 0.73 percent, smaller than one percent difference in the voting. Yet, the losing candidate conceded graciously and democracy won the day. There was a transition of power, not only from one person to the next, but from one party to the opposing party. No squabble, no lawsuits, no fuss — democracy.

In America, at the last presidential election, the loser lost by 4.5 percent and yet he cried and complained and filed lawsuits, none of which was at all successful, and refused to concede. And refused to attend the inauguration of the winner — the first time that had happened in 152 years, when a petulant Andrew Jackson refused to attend the inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant.

It is really a shameful embarrassment that Donald Trump not only refused to attend the inauguration of Joe Biden — which is a visual representation of the peaceful transfer of power in a democracy — but........

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