Encourages Voting While Kneeling and Sobbing
Uploads Videos Both on the Eve and the Day of the Presidential Election
Han Gil Jeon, a former Korean history instructor who had previously called for a boycott of the presidential election, abruptly urged young people to vote.
On both June 2, the day before the presidential election, and June 3, the day of the election, Jeon uploaded videos titled "An Appeal from Han Gil Jeon in Tears" to his YouTube channel. He knelt and pleaded directly to the 2030 generation. Jeon said, "To the people of Korea, and especially to the youth of the 2030 generation, I sincerely beg you on my knees," and he actually knelt on the floor, clasped his hands, and cried.
He stated, "It is alright if I die. But I do not want to see a Korea where liberal democracy collapses," and added, "This is the world you will live in. Please ask yourselves what kind of country you want to live in and make your own judgment." He continued, "There is only one day left," and said, "I hope you watch this video before voting. Please protect Korea so that it does not collapse." He emphasized, "You are the sovereign people and the true owners of Korea," and urged, "You must exercise your right to vote."
Former Korean history instructor Han Gil Jeon is encouraging voting on the 3rd, the day of the presidential election. Screenshot from Han Gil Jeon News
In the video he posted that day, he said, "This presidential election is completely different from any previous election," and explained, "If one candidate is elected, there is a high possibility that the South Korea-U.S. alliance will be broken. The other candidate will protect Korea's peace from war through the South Korea-U.S. alliance." He went on to say, "One candidate is currently dreaming of dictatorship," and argued, "We are facing a crisis where, under a dictatorship like Hitler's Nazism, we could lose our individual freedoms and human rights." He further stated, "Many people are predicting that, depending on which candidate is elected, Korea will either rise again and become a peaceful country without war, or fall into totalitarianism and eventually become a second Venezuela," and stressed again, "Whether you vote or not in this election will determine the fate of Korea."
Jeon had previously advocated for an early election boycott, demanding that the National Election Commission revise its rules to strengthen the fairness of early voting after the Constitutional Court's ruling to remove former President Yoon Suk-yeol from office. On April 18, he said, "If the demand to revise the election rules is not accepted, we must boycott the presidential election on June 3. There is no need to participate." He also said, "People of Korea, you must choose. Will you be the owners of the country or mere pigs and dogs? I will resist the presidential election results. I am staking my life on this," expressing himself in rather extreme terms.
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