Mention of Martial Law Incident at 'Pluralism' Forum
"Democracy is Difficult... Look at What Happened in Han"
US Deputy Secretary of State: "Yoon's Serious Misjudgment"
Former U.S. President Barack Obama mentioned South Korea's martial law situation in his first speech after the presidential election.
On the 5th (local time), former President Obama addressed the martial law situation in South Korea during a speech at the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum held in Chicago, Illinois. He said, "The belief that we must show a certain degree of 'tolerance' toward those who look or think differently from ourselves is at the core of democracy," adding, "This is a difficult task. It is challenging even in relatively homogeneous countries and not easy to maintain. Look at what happened in South Korea this week." He continued, "It is especially difficult in a large, multiethnic, multicultural, and multireligious country like the United States," and added, "Considering the U.S. Constitution as a rulebook for practicing pluralism can be one way to approach this."
The theme of this Obama Foundation forum was 'pluralism,' and it is interpreted that he mentioned South Korea's martial law situation to emphasize the importance of practicing pluralism to protect democracy in a polarized society. He stressed, "Pluralism does not mean giving up your beliefs or folding when situations become difficult," and "It means realizing that power in democracy comes from forming alliances and building coalitions." He also urged, "Testing purity is not the secret to long-term success."
Regarding the U.S. presidential election, which ended in a Democratic Party defeat, he said, "The results were not what we expected," and explained, "This election proved that democracy has fallen down the list of people's priorities." However, he argued for maintaining good relations with the opposing side, saying, "It is easy to speak well of democracy when it brings the results we want, but when it does not, it is put to the test."
Meanwhile, Kurt Campbell, the second-highest official at the U.S. State Department, stated on the 4th at the Aspen Strategy Forum held in Washington, D.C., that "President Yoon Seok-yeol made a serious misjudgment." He said, "The memories of past martial law have left a deep and negative impact in South Korea," and added, "One thing I can say is that most of our communication channels within the South Korean government?including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and the Presidential Office?were very surprised by the martial law."
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