Korea: “Yoon Suk-yeol Swift Punishment”...AKS Declaration
Professors from the AKS announce a declaration on the situation “Constitutional Court and the judiciary, swiftly punish Yoon Suk-yeol” “Government should decisively address illegal violent actions” “Domestic and international Korean studies community, unite in action”
- “Swiftly punish Yoon Suk-yeol, who attacked the Republic of Korea”
- The National Assembly was attacked by military forces under the president’s orders. When the leader of the insurrection, who violated the Constitution, was arrested, his radical supporters attacked the court. The horrific events of the last two months have shocked and enraged not only Koreans but citizens around the world.
- The political, economic, and cultural achievements that Korea has made and will continue to make are under threat. Constitutional institutions have been exposed to illegal violence. Economic signs of a potential crisis that could devastate livelihoods are also emerging. If the attempts to destroy the democratic system succeed, the cultural diversity and dynamism that Korean society has built will lose its momentum. However, they are still persistently obstructing the rightful and legal punishment of the insurrectionists based on the Constitution and laws using every means possible.
- Despite these grim circumstances, the National Assembly has stopped the illegal martial law in accordance with democratic procedures, and citizens have taken to the streets holding colorful light sticks and candles. The world, as much as it was taken aback by the outrageous acts that occurred in a model 21st-century democracy, has applauded the swift and resolute suppression of the insurrection by the Korean people. This is not a battle between conservatives and progressives. It is a just resistance against unconstitutional forces trying to destroy the democratic republic that Korea has built after a long history.
- Since the 20th century, Korea has been the protagonist of a historic miracle. The first miracle was overcoming colonial rule and military dictatorship to achieve democratization from below. The second miracle was Korea’s leap from the ruins of the Korean War to becoming a global economic powerhouse. The third miracle was the cultural achievements that resisted authoritarian and oppressive old practices, earning the sympathy of the world. Today, the citizens of the world are asking how Korea overcame numerous historical trials and arrived at the present.
- The Academy of Korean Studies, which leads global Korean studies research and cultivates future scholars, has always responded to such global interest. The professors of the Academy of Korean Studies believe that this insurrection not only destroyed public order and citizens’ daily lives but also seriously harmed the growth and diversification of Korean studies research. Therefore, in line with their professional duties as researchers and educators, and responding to the world’s affectionate attention and solidarity to the current historical crisis in Korea, they make the following demands:
- The Constitutional Court and the judiciary should swiftly proceed with impeachment procedures and criminal judgments against the leader of the insurrection, Yoon Suk-yeol, without wavering.
- The government should decisively address illegal violent actions that threaten the democratic order.
- The domestic and international Korean studies community should unite in actions to defend the democracy of the Republic of Korea.
- January 23, 2025
- Professors of the Academy of Korean Studies who are concerned about the current situation:
- An Yelee, Chang Shin, Cho Hyeon Beom, Han Seung-hoon, Hwang Jung-yon, Jeongsoo Shin, Jo Yoong-hee, Joe Ildong, Joo Young-ha, Jung Heon-mok, Jungran Lee, Kim Ba-ro, Kim Byungjun, Kim Chulsik, Kim Hyun-jong, Kim Insuk, Kim Sohee, Kim Won, Kim Woo Yeong, Ku Nanhee, Lee Dae Hwa, Lee Ha-kyoung, Lee Jung hee, Lee Wan Bom, Lee Yongyun, Lim Chi-kyun, Nam Eunhye, Oh Kangwon, Ok Chang Joon, Ok young jung, Park Daekwon, Park Jeong Hye, Park Sungho, Seo Ho-Chul, Seo Seung-hui, Shin Ik Cheol, Shin Sang-Who, Sim Jae-woo, So Wonhyun, Son Hyeri, Yang Young-Kyun, Yeon Jaehoon
On January 23, professors from the Academy of Korean Studies(AKS), a government public research institution leading global Korean studies, issued a declaration on the situation calling for “swift punishment for Yoon Suk-yeol, who attacked the Republic of Korea.” The professors particularly appealed to the domestic and international Korean studies communities, urging them to “unite in actions to defend the democracy of the Republic of Korea.”
The Academy of Korean Studies, a government public research institution led by economic historian Kim Nak-yeon from New Right, has prepared this position not as an official stance of the institution, but rather driven by a mission to cultivate future scholars in Korean studies.
The Declaration on the Situation signed by professors such as Park Sungho, Lee Dae Hwa, Joe Ildong, Han Seung-hoon, and others, reflects their grave concern over the assault on the National Assembly by military forces under the president’s orders on December 3, 2024, and the riot that occurred at the Seoul Western District Court following the arrest warrant for Yoon Suk-yeol, raising serious concerns about the damage to Korea’s democracy and rule of law.
In the declaration, the professors warned that attempts to destroy the democratic system could lead to the loss of the cultural diversity and dynamism that Korean society has achieved, adding that the insurrection orchestrated by Yoon Suk-yeol not only disrupted public order and citizens’ daily lives but also posed a severe threat to the growing and diversifying field of Korean studies research.
They, as researchers and educators, responding to the historical crisis in Korea with heartfelt attention and solidarity, have made the following demands:
The Constitutional Court and the judiciary should swiftly proceed with impeachment procedures and criminal judgments against the leader of the insurrection, Yoon Suk-yeol, without wavering.
The government should decisively address illegal violent actions that threaten the democratic order.
The domestic and international Korean studies community is asked to unite in actions to defend the democracy of the Republic of Korea.
Below is the full text of the national declaration issued by the professors of the Academy of Korean Studies:
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