South Korea: Nobel laureate Han Kang joins fellow writers in calling for Yoon’s removal over failed martial law bid
Seoul, March 25 (IANS) Writer Han Kang, the winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, was among hundreds of South Korean authors calling for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol to be removed from office over his failed martial law bid.
The Writers Association of Korea, a leading literary body in the country, issued on Tuesday “one-line statements” by 414 authors, who each voiced their support for Yoon’s removal from office in a few words.
“I believe in the values of life, liberty and peace that must not be harmed,” wrote Han, the first South Korean to win the Nobel Prize in literature. “(Yoon’s) ouster is something that can preserve universal values.”
Han received her Nobel Prize in Sweden in December, just days after Yoon declared martial law and threw South Korea into turmoil. Han, who has delved into historical tragedies in modern Korean history, expressed her shock over the situation when addressing the issue at a press conference in Sweden, Yonhap news agency reported.
In Tuesday’s statement, novelist Eun Hee-kyung wrote, “I want to live in a democratic society.” Chung Bora, of “Cursed Bunny” fame, called for “the punishment of the ringleader of insurrection and the construction of an egalitarian society.”
Literary critic Shin Hyoung-cheol took a shot at Yoon by quoting from Sophocles’ “Antigone” with the line, “Rage with any of your friends who can bear it.”
Also Tuesday, the association gathered 2,487 of its members for a rally at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul in support of Yoon’s ouster.
Earlier in the day, Acting President Han Duck-soo called on the nation to respect the Constitutional Court’s decision on suspended South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment, regardless of the outcome.
Han issued the call during a meeting with public safety-related ministers and officials, as the court is expected to rule soon on whether to uphold or dismiss Yoon’s impeachment over his brief imposition of martial law in December.
“Regardless of the outcome of the Constitutional Court’s decision, it must be respected as a legal judgment made in line with democratic procedures,” the Acting President said.
“Moreover, it must be a starting point for our society to unite beyond division and confrontation.”
Han pleaded with the public to express their opinions in an orderly and peaceful manner within the boundaries set by the Constitution and the law, noting there are growing concerns about illegal and violent acts taking place during rallies and protests surrounding the ruling.
–IANS
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