"The Right to Resist Unjust Orders Must Be Guaranteed Institutionally"
Kim Youngrok, Governor of Jeonnam Province, expressed his welcome on the 16th regarding the appellate court's ruling that recognized the state's liability for damages in the second trial of the state compensation lawsuit involving the late Police Commissioner General Ahn Byungha. He also pledged to do his utmost to create an environment in which the right to resist unjust orders is institutionally guaranteed.
Commissioner General Ahn Byungha, as the head of the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency during the May 18 Democratic Movement in 1980, guided police officers to ensure that protests remained peaceful, prohibited the use of firearms, and instructed them not to engage in excessive suppression, striving to prevent the escalation of bloodshed.
However, on May 26 of the same year, he was dismissed from his position for failing to suppress the protests and was placed on standby. He was then forcibly taken to the Joint Investigation Headquarters of the Martial Law Command. Afterward, he suffered from aftereffects of torture for eight years and passed away in 1988.
Governor Kim emphasized, "This ruling is a meaningful decision that goes beyond simple compensation, showing that the principled actions of a just public official must be recognized by history."
He continued, "Commissioner General Ahn's courage and conviction were revived once again on December 3, 2024. Military and police personnel deployed to the National Assembly acted passively in response to unjust orders and protected the people, and the resistance of citizens, armed with the spirit of May, contributed to the illegal 12·3 Martial Law being lifted within two hours."
He added, "The state and public officials exist for the people. Public officials must be guaranteed the right to refuse unjust orders that threaten the lives and safety of the people. The courageous decision made by Commissioner General Ahn Byungha 45 years ago is a valuable legacy that reminds us of an important principle today."
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