Korean Writers' Association Issues Statement Signed by 414 Writers
Many Literary Figures Including Kim Aeran and Eun Heekyung Join
Emergency Declaration Also Held at Gwanghwamun Protest Village
Han Kang, the first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, has added her name to a statement by literary figures urging the Constitutional Court to accept the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol.
On the 25th, the Korean Writers' Association released a "one-line statement" signed by 414 writers calling for President Yoon's removal. The statement included novelists Han Kang, Kim Ae-ran, Kim Yeon-su, Kim Cho-yeop, Kim Ho-yeon, Park Sang-young, Eun Hee-kyung, and Lim Hyun; poets Kim Sa-in, Kim Hye-soon, Oh Eun, and Hwang In-chan; and literary critic Shin Hyeong-cheol, among others.
Han Kang stated, "I believe in the values of life, freedom, and peace that must not be damaged," adding, "Removal is about protecting universal values." Kim Cho-yeop wrote, "I earnestly urge a swift removal. I'm so stressed I can barely write this one line," Eun Hee-kyung said, "I want to live in a democratic world," Lim Hyun commented, "I want to write novels that feel real, not live in a country where novel-like events actually happen," and Jeong Bo wrote, "Let's punish the ringleaders of the rebellion and build an equal society."
Novelist Han Kang participated in the "One-Line Statement" by 414 writers calling for the dismissal of President Yoon Suk-yeol. Korean Writers' Association
Poet Jang Seok-nam said, "I don't want to talk about high ideals. An order was given to point guns at the people. Removal is just common sense," while Hwang In-chan stated, "Since December 3rd, the clock of common sense and justice has stopped. Let the stopped time flow again." Notably, Song Kyung-dong, secretary general of the Korean Writers' Association, has been on a hunger strike since the 11th, demanding President Yoon's removal.
On the same day, the Korean Writers' Association also held an emergency declaration on behalf of 2,487 literary figures nationwide in front of the Gwanghwamun protest village in Seoul. They said, "Yoon Seok-yeol's martial law shattered our belief that Korea's democracy is operating stably within at least a minimal institutional framework," adding, "Now, speed is directly linked to justice. The Constitutional Court must present a decisive opportunity for our people to return to their daily lives."
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