After years of corruption and democratic backsliding, a massive popular uprising took to the streets to demand the ouster of the authoritarian government. Its leader was not only impeached but convicted of serious crimes and sent to prison. The right-wing movement that backed the reactionary leader was completely discredited, allowing the opposition to win landslide victories in the following three election cycles. These victories, coupled with the expansion of social movements and labor activism, inaugurated a new period of vibrant liberalism in the country, whose future was undeniably bright.

This is not an alternate history of the Trump-era United States. It is the actual recent history of South Korea, where the “Candlelight Revolution” of 2016–17 triggered a major political realignment. And while impeachment proceedings in the United States are now a distant memory, it is worth contrasting them with South Korea so that we can understand why Democratic elites failed so spectacularly. Why now? Because ensuring the legitimacy of the 2020 election may require deploying the very tactic elected liberals refused to make a part of impeachment: mass politics.

As US impeachment proceedings were ramping up last fall, astute Korea watcher Nathan Park looked back at the experience of the Candlelight Revolution to offer advice about how the United States should impeach Donald Trump. Park’s piece is worth revisiting because while much of his advice focuses on the internal procedures of the South Korean National Assembly, he makes clear that the masses in the street were essential to former president Park Geun-hye’s ouster. Indeed, the piece is really a plea for elected officials and the mobilized public to recognize that both forces are necessary for impeachment to succeed — and that each has its own distinct role to play.