Buyeo

Buyeo, officially the Buyeo Commonwealth (: 대부여국; literally The Great Buyeo State; : 夫餘) or simply "The Commonwealth," is a in Uju, located south of Elwha. The Buyeo Commonwealth is a federal parliamentary republic which consists of twenty provinces.

Buyeo was inhabited around 15,000 years ago by settlers crossing from Southern Uju. Civilization was founded in Buyeo with the various tribes and empires with Jeongmian colonization following around 1526. Consequently, the Six Colonies of Buyeo was formed. For over 300 years, the colonies of Buyeo saw massive level of growth due to its proximity to wealthy neighbors. As a consequence of various conflicts between Jeongmi and aboriginal forces, Buyeo was able to expand under the Jeongmian Empire until in the late 18th century when Buyeo declared its independence from Imperial Jeongmi.

Buyeo is a developed country with having high GPD per capita and human development. It ranks highly among economic freedom, government transparency, quality of life, education, and civil liberties. Buyeo is currently a regional power in Uju and an emerging power in international stage.

Etymology
The name Buyeo stemmed from ancient Baekhae legends where there was a mysterious kingdom that experiences prosperity and peace before its downfall before the nation of Baekhae was formed.

Indegenous and Jeongmian Contact
Buyeo was settled by the Yudi people in what historians believed to be 4,000 years ago, based in modern day Sinseorae. Although records recording the Yudi people are scarce, it was commonly believed that the Yudi people was replaced by the Chuman tribe to be the dominant tribe in the region a few centuries after the formation of the Yudi people. The Chuman tribe maintained a period of isolationism before splitting into various tribes. The territory which became to be known as Buyeo was was claimed for the Jeongmian Empire on 1526, with the arrival of the Jeongmian fleet commanded by Kang Jae-in. The Jeongmians encountered various warring tribes of indigenous people and taking advantage of their divisiveness, Kang Jae-in conquered vast swath of lands for Jeongmi and received governorship over the colonial province of Bongnae, one of the original five provinces of Buyeo, named after a mythological land in ancient Jeongmian legends.

Colonization
Permanent settlements followed and over the next 300 years, the colonies of Buyeo expanded southwards to incorporate a vast sum of land into Buyeo. Due to sailable proximity to Notchlico and Southern Yoju and Miju from Buyeo, the colonies were a profitable asset to the Jeongmian Empire and the colonists see themselves as proud and patriotic Jeongmian citizens, ensuring that their trade and agriculture are a factor in Jeongmi's growing economy. However, due to the vast distance between Jeongmi and Buyeo, the colonies lived through self-rule with minimal intervention from the Jeongmian Empire. The colonies had their own governments and with the sole exception of Taegun, most governors were elected either by colonial legislatures or educated Sinju males.

Independence and the Conventions


In the mid 18th century, the Jeongmian Imperial government was looking to expand its dominion over the Buyeo colonies and set up new taxation systems and regulations. Most of the taxations were opposed by the colonists, who felt that the taxes they're burdened with only benefits the Jeongmian Imperial government due to the taxes going to Jeongmi instead towards their colonial governments. In March 11th, 1778; 32 delegates from the Eight Colonies of Buyeo formed the First Convention and after some debates, signed the Declaration of Independence. Listing their grievances with the Jeongmian Imperial government, the delegates argued that the Buyeo colonies lived in relative prosperity and were self-sufficient in dealing with aboriginal threats. The intervention of the Imperial government placed limitation on trade with neighboring tribes and countries, placed additional tax burdens on the colonists when those taxes are sent to the Jeongmian government, and prevented settlers from moving into recently opened lands. The actions of the Imperial government, the delegates agreed to, were tyrannical and abridged on the rights of Sinju colonists. With the Declaration of Independence signed, the delegates declared Buyeo to be an independent entity under the name of the Commonwealth of Buyeo. The delegates also formed the Provisional Assembly as the makeshift governing body for the eight former colonies with the Chancellor of the Assembly considered to be the figurehead of the country.

Jeongmi was not pleased to see one of its prosperous colonies declaring independence and the Jeongmian Emperor Danjo declared that Buyeo will return to Jeongmi. In response, the Provisional Assembly established the National Army to serve as the main military while pro-independence governors used the colonial militias act as first responders. The Provisional Assembly also appointed Taegun delegate and seasoned war-hero Yi Jun-min as the Supreme Commander of the Commonwealth Army.

In the span of four years, much of the fighting had taken place in Sinseorae, Bongnae and Taegun, although some skirmishes did took place in Habaek and Myeongun. In 1780, the Empire of Jeongmi recognized Buyeo as an independent nation in the Haeseong Treaty. At the start, the young nation is faced with internal and external issues. The war accumulated debt and frequent raids from neighboring tribes along with administrative problems brought a call for reform. The Second Convention was held in 1784 to address issues in the country and came up with various reforms that would bring order to the young republic.

The Antebellum Years
After the Second Convention, the Buyeo Commonwealth lived in relative prosperity and was considered the Growing Age of Buyeo in the 19th century. It was a time of expansion under a national ideology of a manifest destiny for Buyeoins to spread the ideals of freedom across the continent from the north to the south. The early to mid 19th century oversaw technological advancements and a renaissance of ideological thoughts and art amongst scholars. It was also marked for the establishment of universal male suffrage and Sinju males were not limited by property or education to make his voice heard. During this period, numerous provinces were formed and joined the Commonwealth, including Geryo and Balnae. The period also saw increased immigration from Jungju and Uju with immigrants moving to Buyeo for increased opportunity.

However, not all benefited the fruits of Buyeo. Slavery was still an issue and the country lived divided amongst provincial lines. The northern provinces were hotbeds of anti-slavery attitudes and abolitionists with most of the provinces having already abolished slavery before the War for Independence. Much of the abolitionists, such as former Miju slave Roh Taehyeon, argued that the nation founded on liberty and opportunity cannot continue as a nation half-slave and half-free.

The southern provinces still defended slavery as an economic institution, with some claiming that it's a necessary evil while others claim that they're civilizing the Mijuins with slavery, thus seeing it as a moral good. Although Buyeo enforced the end of the international slave trade between Buyeo and other countries, domestic slavery prospered. Politicians had tried to silence the topic by banning discussions of slavery in governmental functions. However, the problem was too divisive for anyone to ignore. It became prominent enough when the anti-slavery Liberty Party entered mainstream politics and became the major party that succeeded the now dissolved Federalist Party.

Civil War and Reconstruction


With the victory of the Liberty Party in the Assembly in 1862, three southern states, Bongnae, Hanta, and Myeongun) declared seccession to create the Buyeo Confederacy, to "escape the tyranny of the Commonwealth government and to give more independence to the individual states in dealing with slavery." The Buyeo Confederacy attempted to gain international recognition but failed to receive support from the Sinju powers.

The seccesion was seen as a rebellion among the eastern provinces and Chancellor Gwak Mo-su ordered mobilization of troops to deal with the rebels after Confederate forces fired Fort Asadal in Sinseorae, thus beginning civil war. According to the words of Chancelllor Gwak Mo-su, "The assault on the nation's soil from traitors mean that this conflict will unfortunately not be resolved with peace but with war."

The war lasted for four years and was one of the bloodiest in Buyeoin conflict, killing over 500,000 Buyeoins in the war between brothers. Thousands of families, both Miju and Sinju alike, were displaced in the Three States by retreating Confederates enacting a "scorched earth" policy and vengeful Commonwealth soldiers following total war. During the conflict, the Assembly passed an amendment that once and for all abolished slavery. The war ended and the devastated Southern States were firmly placed into the Commonwealth. Reconstruction, although slow, were in place to find settlement for newly freed slaves and to rebuild the economy and infrastructure of the Three States.

Starting from the late 1860s, national attention was placed east and the Roh Youngkyang Government advertised settlement to the Eastern Territories as a way for displaced families of the war to begin again. The Youngkyang government promised vast sums of lands in the east for small payments and settlements soon popped up in the east. The Eastern settlements grew into Andeok, Yubo, and Gangcheong and they later joined the Commonwealth in 1891.

Eulhae War and the Rise to Power




Due to the worldwide economic depression, the Commonwealth of Buyeo had taken a "Buyeo First" role in much of early 20th century. Non-interventionism took a stand among the wary populace whose biggest concern is economic growth and having stable jobs. Popular view was that the country has no need to be involved among squabbling Sinju nations, jobs were at stake. Despite this, fear of the Empire of Akitsukuni had led to Chancellor Yi Seung-ryong to call for small scaled militarization and projects were made in preparation for a potential conflict. When the Empire of Akitsukuni invaded the Meisaan colony of Elwha, Chancellor Yi Seung-ryong decried the action as "a threat to sovereignty and liberty in all the nations of Uju under Heaven" in his "A World without Freedom" speech. The Assembly later passed a formal declaration of war against the Empire of Akitsukuni. A few days later, the Commonwealth declared war on the Contingency Power of Fusen, Kang Lâm, and Gaoxiong, fully bringing Buyeo into global conflict.

Government and politics
Buyeo is one of the oldest surviving federation. It is a federal parliamentary constitutional republic in which a majority rule is balanced by minority rights protected by law.

In the federalist system in use in the Commonwealth, citizens are usually subject to three levels of government: federal, state, and local. The local government's duties are commonly split between city and county governments. In almost all cases, executive and legislative officials are elected by a plurality vote of citizens by district. There are no proportional systems at the federal level but some form of proportional representations were implemented in some aspect of lower level governments such as in the Sinseorae General Court in which it offers a unicameral proportional representation.



The federal government is composed of three branches:

- Legislative: The bicameral Assembly, made up of the Council and the House of Representatives, makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, and has the power of the purse. The Legislative Branch is the most powerful branch in the Commonwealth with most executive powers being held by the Chancellor of the Assembly.

- Executive: The President is a ceremmonial office elected by the Assembly to serve as the head of state and a representation of the Commonwealth. The President signs every law (except those that pertain to the president's powers) and international or bilateral treaties approved by the Assembly, endorses credentials of foreign diplomats, guides the Assembly for the creation of new government, and has the power to temporarily dissolve the Assembly only when there's an absolute majority that the Assembly has no chance of effective governance and can remove the Chancellor from office.

- Judicial: The Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the Chancellor with Council approval, interpret laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional. They the power of impeachment, by which they can remove sitting members of the government.

The House of Representatives has 415 voting members, each representing a congressional district for a two-year term for the maximum of four terms. House seats are apportioned among the states by population every tenth year. The Speaker of the House is the head of the House of Representatives while the Chancellor is almost always the leader of the governing party in the House of Representatives.

The Council has 24 members with each state having two councilors, appointed at-large by state legislatures to six-year terms at the maximum of two terms; one third of Council seats are up for appointment every other year in accordance to elections in their respective state legislatures. The leader of the Council is the Head Councilor who's elected by the Council.

The President is not elected by direct vote, but by the Assembly in which the candidate must receive an absolute majority of support. The Supreme Court, led by the Chief Justice of the Commonwealth, has nine members, who serve for life.

The state governments are structured in different fashion; Hanta uniquely has a unicameral legislature. The governor (chief executive) of each state is directly elected and exercises more power but is usually seen as equal to state legislatures. Some state judges and cabinet officers are appointed by the governors of the respective states, while others are elected by popular vote.

The original text of the Constitution establishes the structure and responsibilities of the federal government and its relationship with the individual states. The Constitution has been amended 23 times; the first ten amendments, which make up the Bill of Rights, and the Fourteenth Amendment form the central basis of individual rights. All laws and governmental procedures are subject to judicial review and any law ruled by the courts to be in violation of the Constitution is voided.

Parties and Election
The Commonwealth has operated under a two-party system until 1944 when it was seen as more of a three-party system. For elective offices at most levels, state-administered primary elections choose the major party nominees for subsequent general elections. Since the general election of 1856, the major parties have been the People's Party, founded in 1823; the Liberty Party, founded in 1854; and the Justice Party, founded in 1944. The Chancellor and the House Speaker are elected by members of the Assembly.

Within Buyeoin political culture, the Liberty Party is considered to be liberal, the Peoples Party is labeled as conservative, and the Justice Party is seen as progressive. The states of the Northwest and parts of East Coast, known as "green states", are seen as Justice Party strongholds. The "blue states" of the Northern Strip and part of the South are considered Liberty Party stronghold. Some counties of the Southern states are seen as People's Party stronghold.

Liberty member Ryu Bae-ri, the winner of the 2016 House election, is currently serving as the 52nd Chancellor of the Commonwealth. Current leadership in the Council includes Grand-Councillor Kwon Eulsa, Majority Leader Jang Cheol-soo, and Minority Leader Kim Ji-kyeong. Leadership in the House includes Speaker of the House [Gim Mong-ju]], Majority Leader Ahn Jaeyeon, and Minority Leader Vega Moon-gi.

In the 115th Commonwealth Assembly, both the House of Representatives and the Council are controlled by the Liberty Party. The Senate currently consists of 13 Liberty councillors, 10 Justice councillors, and 1 People's councillor; the House consists of 221 Liberty representative, 182 Justice representatives, 11 People's representative, and one independent representative. In state governorships, there are 15 Liberty governors, 9 Justice governors, and no independent or People's governors.

Administrative divisions
The major administrative divisions in Buyeo are.



The states are (in order by number):

1. Sinseorae (Sea)

2. Habaek (Hbk)

3. Taegun (Tgn)

4. Bongnae (Bgn)

5. Hanta (Hnt)

6. Myeongun (Mgn)

7. Andeok (Adk)

8. Yubo (Ybo)

9. Gangcheong (Gch)

10. Hangwon (Hwn)

11. Geryo (Gyo)

12. Balnae (Ban)

Music
Buyeo popular music saw heavy influences by Jeongmi and by various countries through immigration. For the most part, Buyeo based musicians tried to either emulate Jeongmian musical style or went with their own unique form of music.

One of the most famous musical style emerging from Buyeo is jazz. Jazz is described as of being a marriage between musical notes of Yoju and Mijun artists. Jazz can be characterized by the use of improvisation, distinctive tone colors & performance techniques, and shortened rhythmic patterns. While Jazz is still popular today, it saw its Golden Age since the 1920s all the way to the 1950s.

Meanwhile, Buyeo's own pop music also saw an increase in popularity since the late 20th century. Dubbed as B-Pop, most contemporary artists followed nearly the same pattern as Jeongmian popular music with the use of electric beats and increasing use of musical groups showcasing the latest in looks and dance moves.

Another unique musical style emerging from Buyeo is hip hop or rap. Coming from immigrant heavy cities, hip hop was a more modern invention compared to Jazz but older than contemporary pop music, coming from the 1980s. Hip hop does have a level of cotnroversy compared to other musics, especially from the older generation who sees contemporary forms of hip hop as promoting violence and anti-family messages. Regardless, it has a place in Buyeo musical culture.

Cuisine


The cuisine of the Commonwealth reflects its rich history history. The Sinju colonization of Uju yielded the introduction of a number of ingredients and cooking styles to the latter. The various styles of cooking expanded well into the 19th and 20th centuries, proportional to the influx of immigrants from all over the globe; leading to the development a rich diversity in food preparation throughout the country. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Buyeoins developed many new foods. During the late 19th century, food production and presentation became more industrialized. In contemporary Buyeo, one characteristic of Buyeoin cooking is the fusion of multiple ethnic or regional approaches into completely new cooking styles, reflecting the diverse culture of the Commonwealth.

Due to the large sizes of Buyeo, popular dishes and cuisines vary greatly between regions with provinces and even cities having their own popular dishes and flavors. While most dishes do follow Jeongmian's influence of side dishes known as banchan, regions tend to go their own separate ways when it comes to the flavor and the influences of the food, including from the various ethnicities of the country.