Annam

Annam 안암
Flag Emblem
Anthem: God Save the Queen
Location of Annam (dark green)
Status	British Overseas Territory
Capital	Masan
Official languages	English, Korean
Ethnic groups (2018)	94% Korean 3% Chinese 2% Japanese 1% Other
Demonym(s)	Annamese
Government	Constitutional monarchy, parliamentary democracy
• Monarch	Elizabeth II
• Governor	Penelope Tudor
• Chief Secretary	Noh Jung-min
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Commons
Establishment
• British occupation	1845
• Imperial Japanese military occupation	1940 to 1945
• North Korean occupation	1950 to 1950
• Annam Act	1996
Area
•	1,522 km2 (588 sq mi)
Population
• 2018 estimate	6,254,200 (109th)
• Density	4,109/km2 (10,642.3/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2018 estimate
• Total	$410,444,000,000 (45th)
• Per capita	$65,627 (9th)
Currency	Annamese Pound (AMP)
Time zone	UTC+9
Date format	yyyy년 m월 d일 yyyy. m. d. (CE)
Driving side	left
Calling code	+641
Internet TLD	.am

Annam (Hangul: 안암) is a city-state and British Overseas Territory in the Korean Peninsula. It is located on the Ongjin Peninsula, and shares a land border with North Korea. As a British Overseas Territory, Annam has internal self-government, and the United Kingdom is responsible for its foreign affairs and defence.

In 1845, British East India Company officer Sir Robert Boucher established a trading port in the area of present Masan after purchasing the land from the Joseon court. By 1860, the territory, now a Crown colony named Annam and a flourishing trading port, had expanded to cover the entire Ongjin Peninsula. Annam remained under British control during Japanese occupation of Korea, until 1940. Annam returned to British control following the Second World War, but was briefly occupied by the North Korean military for several months in 1950 during the Korean War, before returning once again to British sovereignty. Due to the ongoing Korean conflict and Annam's precarious location in the midst of that conflict, Annam has anomalously remained a British Overseas Territory since 1950, although political reforms in the 1990s have granted the territory substantial democratic self-government.

Annam has been a leading regional commercial port since the 19th Century, and remains today one of the world's leading financial centres and global cities with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. It is one of the so-called Asian Tiger economies, having experienced rapid growth and industrialisation in the second half of the 20th Century. It is known as one of the most laissez-faire economies in the world, and consistently ranks near the top of indices of economic freedom, as well as measures of quality of life including the Human Development Index. The majority of Annam's population and workforce are ethnic Koreans, many of whom migrated from South Korea in the 20th Century, but there are also a substantial number of non-Korean workers and residents in Annam, particularly Japanese and Chinese, as well as a significant minority of British and Commonwealth expats.

Although essentially a British colony whose defence and foreign affairs remain the responsibility of the United Kingdom, Annam has enjoyed internal democratic self-government since the political reforms of the 1990s that culminated in the passage of the Annam Act by the British Parliament in 1996. While the Governors of Annam continue to be appointed by the British government, Westminster parliamentary government now prevails in Annam. The current Governor of Annam is Penelope Tudor and the Chief Secretary of Annam since 2014 has been Noh Jung-min.

History

Pre-Colonial

The Ongjin Peninsula, which Annam encompasses, was part of the ancient Gojoseon kingdom that spanned most of the north of the Korean Peninsula since ancient times until 108 BCE. At this time the Ongjin Peninsula was sparsely populated, although settlement of the peninsula has been continuous since the Paleolithic period. When the Han dynasty of China defeated Wiman Joseon in 108 BCE, it installed the Four Commanderies in the former territory of the Gojoseon. The Ongjin Peninsula was located within the short-lived Zhengfan Commandery until its abolition in 82 BCE.

During the 1st Century CE, the Ongjin Peninsula fell to the control of the Goguryeo kingdom, which dominated most of the Korean Peninsula and a large part of southern and central Manchuria from the 1st Century CE until its fall in 668 CE. Goguryo fell to an alliance of Tang China and the rival Korean kingdom of Silla in 668 CE, whereupon the Ongjin Peninsula was absorbed into the territory of the ascendant kingdom of Silla, now in control of most of the Korean Peninsula after driving out the Tang. The Ongjin Peninsula was part of Silla for 230 years, until it, like much of Silla's northern territories, fell to the second Goguryeo kingdom (later Taebong) under Gung Ye in 898 CE. Taebong later became the Goryeo kingdom founded by Wang Geon that ruled the whole of the Korean Peninsula for nearly 500 years, until 1392.

Under the Goryeo dynasty, the Ongjin Peninsula experienced increased settlement due to the proximity of the Goryeo capital at Kaesong. The coastal town of Annam emerged during the Goryeo period, which became a trade conduit for Chinese seafaring traders. After the establishment of the Joseon dynasty in 1392, the capital of the Korean kingdom moved from Kaesong to Hanyang (modern day Seoul), and Annam's importance diminished.

Government

Penelope Tudor, Governor since 2011

Noh Jung-min, Chief Secretary since 2014

Annam is a British Overseas Territory with full democratic self-government. Annam's constitution is embodied in a number of constitutional instruments, most notably the Letters Patent of 1909 and the Annam Act of 1996. While the British monarch is sovereign over Annam and the British Parliament has supreme legislative authority over the territory, Annam's domestic political and legislative affairs are under the competence of the Annamese Parliament and the local territorial administration of the Chief Secretary. Annam has a Westminster style parliamentary government modelled after the British political system.

Executive power rests in the Governor of Annam, who continues to be a British national appointed by the British government. Prior to the introduction of representative government in the 1990s, the Governor administered the territory autocratically. Presently, apart from the limited matters on which the Governor acts on the instructions of the British government, the Governor of Annam acts only on the advice of ministers of the elected local administration. The local administration is led by the Chief Secretary, who, pursuant to Westminster conventions, is the leader of the party or coalition which holds the confidence of the elected House of Commons. The Chief Secretary and other Ministers of the Crown sit in the Executive Council.

Chancery House, seat of the Parliament of Annam and formerly the Legislative Council

The Parliament of Annam is the bicameral legislature of Annam and comprises the elected House of Commons and the appointed Senate. It was established in 1996 under the Annam Act, replacing the fully-appointed unicameral Legislative Council. The House of Commons consists of 120 Members of Parliament elected in single-member constituencies under the First Past the Post electoral system. The Senate consists of 50 Senators appointed for life by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Secretary, with the confirmation of the Senate itself. The Commons, the "lower house", is the more powerful of the two chambers, as it controls taxation and supply and it is the house from which the government is drawn. The Senate, the "upper house", is the weaker chamber of "sober second thought" designed to draw upon its members' experience and judgment. The Parliament of Annam, and its powers, functions, officers and procedures, was modelled closely on the British Parliament, particularly in the distinction between a powerful elected lower house and a weaker aristocratic upper house, although the Senate is also, in character and composition, the successor to the former Legislative Council.

Façade of the Supreme Court Building

The legal system of Annam is based on English common law, and Annam's courts and legal profession are modelled on the English system. The Supreme Court is the highest territorial court in Annam, although appeals may be brought from the Supreme Court to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London. Supreme Court judges are appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Secretary, typically upon consultation with the judiciary and the legal profession. Proceedings in Annamese courts may be conducted either in English or Korean depending on the needs of the case, although proceedings in the higher courts are invariably conducted in English.

Politically, Annam has a two-party system, consisting of the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party. The Conservative Party is broadly right wing and classical liberal, while the Liberal Party is broadly centrist and progressive. Since the first democratic parliamentary elections in Annam in 1996, the territory has been under Conservative government for 15 years in total, and under Liberal government for 8 years, the Conservative Party having won 5 general elections and the Liberal Party 2 general elections. The Conservative government of current Chief Secretary Noh Jung-min has been in power since 2015, and was most recently returned to power in the April 2019 general election.