South Korean President Lee reiterates plan to designate December 3 as day for people's sovereignty
Seoul, July 17
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Friday reiterated his plan to designate December 3 as a day of people's sovereignty that would mark the anniversary of former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed imposition of martial law.
In a Facebook post marking the 78th Constitution Day, Lee pledged to designate December 3 as a legal public holiday so that the meaning and spirit of the day -- when ordinary citizens voluntarily sought to block the unexpected martial law -- could be fully passed down to future generations, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Lee made a similar proposal last year to mark the first anniversary of the political crisis triggered by Yoon's declaration of martial law.
"On December 3, 2024, the martial law declared in the middle of the night reminded all of us that the threat to democracy is by no means a thing of the past, but a reality that could happen again at any time in today's Republic of Korea," Lee said in the post, referring to the country by its official name.
He further said South Korea had demonstrated to the world through a "revolution of light" that the spirit of popular sovereignty enshrined in the Constitution is alive and breathing in people's daily lives.
Lee also highlighted the presidential "Committee of Light," which was launched earlier this week to honor people who contributed to protecting the Constitution and democracy.
The committee, which consists of no more than 35 members, including experts in constitutional law and democracy, will establish basic directions for promoting Korean-style participatory democracy and issue certificates to people who contributed to protecting democracy during the martial law imposition.
"We will systematically collect and preserve records of the Light Revolution so that K-democracy can spread widely around the world as a model for democracy," Lee said.
He also shared a photo of a certificate of appreciation to be presented to participants at a citizens' event marking the launch of the committee, scheduled to be held at Cheong Wa Dae later in the day.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Isn't this just political theater? Yoon is gone, and now Lee is using the past to boost his own image. Look at the timing - he's making December 3 a holiday when his own approval ratings are stagnant.
The 'Committee of Light' concept sounds impressive. In India, we never truly institutionalized the lessons from our own Emergency period. South Korea is being proactive.
Let's be real - designating a holiday and creating a committee is easy. Actually protecting democracy requires deeper judicial and institutional reforms. Still, better than doing nothing.
Interesting how South Korea keeps learning from its authoritarian past - first from military dictatorships, now from this. India should take notes, especially with how quickly constitutional norms can be shaken.
क्या बात है! People stopping martial law with their bare hands - that's real people power. But will this holiday be just symbolic? We need the substance, not just the ceremony.
Honestly, this feels like a distraction from Lee's domestic problems. But if it forces other democracies to evaluate their own safeguards, there's value in that. India certainly could use a similar soul-searching exercise.
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