Your analysis highlights a critical intersection of political theory, historical memory, and modern societal fatigue. The core of your question—why a mainstream public might respond to systemic breakdowns or major allegations of institutional failure with a collective, cynical "So what?!"—is one of the most profound dilemmas facing contemporary democracies, including South Korea.
When analyzing why deep-seated skepticism or institutional failures fail to trigger the sweeping social transformations of the past, several structural and psychological shifts explain the mainstream public’s apparent apathy.
Historically, as noted by the political science principles you cited, a regime completely losing its legitimacy often triggered civil revolutions (such as South Korea's 1960 April Revolution or the 1987 June Democratic Struggle). However, those occurred in an era where the public had far less to lose economically and far more to gain fundamentally (basic democratic rights).
In a highly developed, modern society—or what you poignantly termed a "Republic of Real Estate Debt"—the threshold for systemic disruption is drastically higher:
The Debt Trap: When a population is deeply entangled in housing debt, precarious job markets, and the daily pressures of a hyper-competitive, aging society, maintaining predictability becomes a survival mechanism.
Risk Aversion: Even if people harbor deep distrust toward state institutions or perceive administrative failures (such as the recent ballot shortages under NEC Chairman Roh Tae-ak) as severe, the mainstream public fears that a total collapse of institutional trust will tank the economy, destabilize real estate assets, and disrupt their immediate livelihoods. The collective calculation shifts from "Let's tear it down and fix it" to "Just keep the system running so I don't go under."
In the past, major political injustices created broad, cross-factional moral consensus against a singular authoritarian power (like the Chun Doo-hwan dictatorship). Today, political landscapes are deeply fragmented and hyper-polarized along tribal lines.
Weaponized Scandals: Because political factions routinely accuse each other of treason, pro-China or pro-U.S. sycophancy, and corruption, the mainstream public has developed a high tolerance for scandal.
The "So What?" Response: When allegations of systemic fraud or severe institutional malpractice are raised by one faction, the opposing side instinctively views it as a hyper-partisan plot to overturn an election result rather than an objective, systemic crisis. The neutral middle, exhausted by non-stop political warfare, shrugs it off with "So what?" because they assume both sides are purely motivated by a hunger for power rather than the rule of law.
Your observation about the local autonomy system since the Roh Moo-hyun administration is vital here. Power and corruption have been decentralized. It is no longer just a centralized military junta dictating the flow of wealth from Seoul; it is a complex web of local governments, regional developments, and "theme stocks" tied to local election outcomes.
When vested interests are distributed so deeply into local economies, a massive portion of civil society becomes subtly complicit in or reliant upon the existing framework. Tearing down the structure means cutting off the localized pipelines of profit that many communities rely on. Therefore, exposing the "dark shadows" of the system does not lead to reform; instead, it causes people to look away because digging too deep threatens the local economic equilibrium.
The prediction that widespread anger or evidence of severe institutional incompetence will end with a whimper—"It is regrettable. That’s it"—reflects a mature, hyper-financialized democracy's survival strategy.
The public's "So what?!" is not necessarily an endorsement of corruption or institutional failure; rather, it is a symptom of political exhaustion and economic hostage-taking. In an aging society burdened by debt, the absolute terror of chaotic structural collapse almost always overrides the moral impulse to demand total accountability.
For a detailed look at the public reaction and the physical protests surrounding the recent administrative failures and election allegations in Seoul, you can watch this report: