Publishers Association: "Emergency Martial Law is Anachronistic... We Will Fight Against Attempts to Suppress Publishing Freedom"

On the 4th, the Korea Publishers Association issued a statement condemning President Yoon Seok-yeol's declaration of martial law as anachronistic and vowed to fight against all attempts to suppress freedom of publishing.

On the same day, the Publishers Association released a statement titled "Condemning President Yoon Seok-yeol for Crushing the Roots of Democracy and Freedom of Publishing in the Republic of Korea."

The association stated, "The declaration of martial law was enough to remind our people of the trauma from wounds of democratization," and defined it as "a measure that fundamentally undermined the basic principles of a democratic state as defined by the constitution, and a serious violation of the people's fundamental rights and constitutional values."

They continued, "Under the martial law command proclamation, even freedom of publishing was temporarily restricted, and freedom of expression was suppressed," adding, "Although the attempt to deprive freedom of publishing was thwarted within just six hours, we can never forget the nightmare of last night."

The Publishers Association emphasized that freedom of publishing has been at the heart of resisting dictatorship and achieving democracy, that publishing was a symbol of truth and resistance at the difficult crossroads of the democratization movement, and a forward base for freedom, pledging to do their utmost to ensure that publishing is never again forced into silence.

Below is the full text of the statement released by the Korea Publishers Association.

Condemning President Yoon Seok-yeol for Crushing the Roots of Democracy and Freedom of Publishing in the Republic of Korea.

On the late evening of December 3, 2024, President Yoon Seok-yeol declared martial law, making a decision that plunged the Republic of Korea into darkness. Soldiers armed with guns were mobilized to block the National Assembly’s attempt to lift the illegitimate martial law, which was enough to remind our people of the trauma from wounds of democratization. This declaration of martial law by President Yoon was a measure that fundamentally undermined the basic principles of a democratic state as defined by the constitution and a serious violation of the people's fundamental rights and constitutional values. Under the martial law command proclamation, even freedom of publishing was temporarily restricted, and freedom of expression was suppressed. Although the attempt to deprive freedom of publishing was thwarted within just six hours, we can never forget the nightmare of last night.

To resist such an anachronistic attempt, we hereby declare:

We reaffirm that publishing is not merely the act of making books, but a movement that records truth, protects freedom, and leads the times. All publishers in this land will not ignore the current crisis and will not remain silent before history. Article 21 of the Constitution states, "All citizens shall have freedom of speech and the press." This is not merely a list of legal provisions but a fundamental value that the people of the Republic of Korea must uphold. We publishers have endured hardships and struggles to protect freedom of publishing, which has been at the center of resisting dictatorship and achieving democracy throughout history. It is truly deplorable that in this era, we are once again threatened in this freedom.

Not long ago, author Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in Literature, raising the status of Korean culture worldwide. Her literature was born from the freedom of a democratic society, and the stories born from that freedom represent the achievements of Korea’s democratization and cultural accomplishments. However, this martial law has rendered such achievements meaningless. At a moment when the elevated status of Korean culture is spreading worldwide, this anachronistic measure of martial law has damaged national dignity and undermined cultural values.

We remember that freedom of publishing originated from the courage of nameless individuals who made and read books once called banned books. Even at the difficult crossroads of the democratization movement, publishing was a symbol of truth and resistance and a forward base for freedom. Having lived through such history, we will never back down. We will fight against all attempts to suppress freedom of publishing and do our utmost to ensure that publishing in this land is never again forced into silence.

Finally, we strongly demand that those responsible for this martial law be held strictly accountable. They will not be able to evade legal, moral, and historical responsibility. We once again declare that we will continuously protect freedom of publishing and ensure that the flame of democracy never goes out.