Writers urge Yoon’s impeachment for democracy

Han Kang, the 2024 Nobel Prize-winning author, publicly stated for the first time that removing President Yoon Suk Yeol from office is "an act of safeguarding universal values."

Han was among 414 South Korean writers who issued a joint statement on March 25 urging the Constitutional Court to uphold the impeachment of President Yoon. The signatories included prominent figures in Korean literature, such as novelists Eun Hee-kyung and Kim Yeon-su, poet Kim Hye-soon, literary critic Shin Hyeong-cheol, and Baek Hee-na, who in 2020 became the first Korean recipient of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for children’s literature.

In the statement, Han wrote, “I believe in the values of life, freedom, and peace—values that must not be damaged. Impeachment is an act of protecting these universal values.” She had previously voiced concern during a Nobel Prize press conference in Sweden on December 6—three days after the declaration of martial law in Korea—saying, “I was deeply shocked to see a martial law situation unfold again in 2024. I sincerely hope we do not return to a past defined by force, coercion, and censorship.”

Other contributors echoed similar sentiments. Author Eun wrote, “I want to live in a democratic society,” while Kim Yeon-su added, “By this time next week, may it be a night full of justice and peace.” Poet Kim Hye-soon pleaded, “Please, let us no longer be a source of shame to the world.”

In the collective statement, the writers said that as the court delays its ruling on a clear case of insurrection and constitutional violation, social unrest deepens, and the democracy upheld by the people is at risk. “Writers who long for the restoration of democracy and an end to the insurrection have joined voices with shared resolve,” they said.

“It began as a small group of like-minded writers sharing views online, but far more people joined than we expected," poet Seo Hyo-in, who helped organize the statement, explained. "Han Kang responded after we shared the statement's purpose with her.”


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