Protest to exert pressure on Constitutional Court is threat to democracy

The movement for resignation of Park Geun-hye regime (resignation movement), an organization that leads the 8th candlelight vigil at Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul, Saturday said that it will guide people to march toward the Constitutional Court to urge chief justices to uphold the impeachment. Parksamo (Community of Park Geun-hye supporters) and other conservative groups also plan to protest in front of Anguk Station nearby the Court to demand to overturn the president’s impeachment. If things go on like this, the protest for and against the impeachment might continue until the justices complete the hearing. It is understandable that the court request the police to provide measures to deal with this issue.

Unlike the National Assembly and the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, the Constitutional Court is only 10 meters away from the front gate to offices of Supreme Court justices. Thus, chief justices can be easily interrupted by the protest if demonstrations or protests are taking place in front of the Court. If tens of thousands of demonstrators gather together, the law that restricts to stage a protest within 100 meters from the court could lose its power. The resignation movement said that the protest would continue for 20 minutes to the max and considered that it was no big deal. Such an answer is rather worrisome.

A free democracy is based on the rule of law. Calmly waiting chief justices to deliberate the impeachment motion according to the law and their conscience is a way to protect democracy. Press them to promptly complete the hearing to uphold the motion or overturn it is nothing more than a public trial. “Staging a candlelight vigil in front of the Constitutional Court defames the purity of candlelight movement and wastes precious energy of people,” said Son Bong-ho, president of National Sharing Committee and civil movement veteran. The reason why Korea’s candlelight vigil was compared to the Glorious Revolution is that it was a peaceful protest and people preserved the order. I hope that people continue to show such pure and mature sense of citizenship till the end.