[The Editors' Verdict] Freedom Is Everything

There was a time when agency agents were stationed at universities. Openly, no less. It is hard to believe that there was no information worth collecting at universities. Moreover, since the core resistance force against the oppressive regime was the youth, and universities were where they gathered, it seems natural that these institutions became the primary focus of surveillance by the authorities.

In our relatively short journey of economic development, our yearning for freedom was exceptional. The April Revolution, the resistance in Gwangju, the June Democracy Movement, and the sacrifices of many individuals were special expressions of our people's will for freedom. We can take pride in the fact that the hard-won freedom we enjoy today is not much different from the freedom in France, which poet Kim Su-young so envied.

Freedom is often regarded as a political asset. However, freedom is a fundamental element for development in all fields, including the economy, society, culture, and the press. We tend to forget freedom as a factor of production because it is like the air we breathe. Many causes have been cited for the Industrial Revolution, but I believe it is no coincidence that the world's first democracy, the United States, gained independence from colonial rule, and the French Revolution occurred, leading to the blossoming of progress in the 19th century based on freedom.

Freedom is especially precious in universities because it is the source of all creativity and ideas. When one cannot imagine everything in the world, creativity, reform, and dreams are suppressed and eventually wither away. As Kim Su-young said, freedom is subversive in the sense that it means dreaming of everything, even the impossible. Without such subversive freedom, humanity's present would look very different.

A newspaper column suggested not voting for a certain party in the upcoming general election, and the Democratic Party of Korea sued the author and the editor to the prosecution. Then, sensing the public mood, they reportedly withdrew the complaint. While the column may contain personal judgments, its content does not seem incorrect or particularly inflammatory. Nevertheless, seeing the ruling party apply the standards of power to press freedom, I cannot understand what the Democratic Party of Korea is thinking. It is hard to believe that a party that constantly champions the "candlelight" protests and prides itself as the embodiment of freedom and justice would take such actions. It is nothing but hypocrisy.

How many years have they been in power? They created a flawed election law and now want to use it as a pretext to suppress freedom of expression. Currently, the ruling forces, including the president and the Democratic Party of Korea, are shamelessly enacting legislation, measures, and rhetoric that suppress freedom in South Korea. It feels as if they are conducting some kind of experiment on the people. The Minister of Justice is merely busy hiding the regime's flaws and claims to separate investigation and prosecution by the prosecution. The party leader, who reorganized power institutions through collusion despite fierce opposition from the opposition parties, says he intends to remain in power for 50 years. These are measures and statements that would be difficult to make without dreaming of dictatorship.

In this context, what is so unlawful or unreasonable about the proposal to vote "except for the Democratic Party"? I believe that an election law that does not tolerate such freedom of expression is rather unconstitutional and problematic. In that sense, I want to shout thousands of times: "Vote except for the Democratic Party." Of course, all citizens of South Korea should be able to make similar statements about other parties without any restrictions. Only then can true freedom of the press be guaranteed, and genuine liberal democracy be realized.

Freedom is everything in democratic and capitalist systems and a prerequisite for human progress. There is no development, culture, or advanced nation without freedom. Naturally, there would be no Bong Joon-ho either. I believe no one is unaware that freedom comes with responsibility. However, laws and systems that impose responsibilities that should not be questioned must be reformed as soon as possible.

Jo Jang-ok, Professor of Economics, Sogang University