Moon Hyungbae: "Social Integration Restores Livelihoods... Forgetting It Brings Crisis"

At Suncheon Lecture: "National Unity Is the Answer"
"The Spirit of May 18 Led to the Lifting of Martial Law"

"Restoring people's livelihoods? The answer is social integration."

Moon Hyungbae, former Acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, emphasized that overcoming crises is impossible without national unity. He also said, "The moment we forget, the crisis will repeat itself."

Moon Hyungbae, former Acting Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, is giving a lecture at the Suncheon Bay Ecological Culture Education Center in Jeollanam-do on the 13th. Photo by Yonhap News

In his lecture titled "Thinking About Education from the Perspective of the Constitution," held the previous day at the Suncheon Bay Ecological Culture Education Center in Jeollanam-do, Moon stated, "The new government is calling for the restoration of livelihoods and social integration, but these two are interconnected." He continued, "Even former President Kim Daejung, who was raised in this region, was able to overcome the IMF crisis thanks to national unity. Only when the people come together can we restore livelihoods and overcome crises."

Moon further stated, "Social integration is essentially the restoration of people's livelihoods, and this applies to any government. However, leaders often forget this. When they mistakenly believe there are more important tasks, things usually do not end well."

During a talk concert with student members of the Jeonnam Student Council following the lecture, topics such as freedom of expression and the political neutrality of education were discussed, focusing on the values of democracy and the Constitution. Moon said, "In our country, there are laws that punish people for defaming those in power or prominent figures, even if what is said is true." He added, "When it comes to public figures, people should be able to speak freely if they are stating facts." He further emphasized, "Even in areas where the facts are unclear, people should be given the opportunity to respond, and if sufficient effort has been made, they should not be held liable."

Moon also mentioned the spirit of the 5·18 Democratization Movement. He said, "I believe the early lifting of martial law this time was possible because of the spirit of 5·18. Citizens who resisted injustice surrounded the National Assembly, lay down under armored vehicles, and grabbed soldiers' guns. The Constitutional Court's impeachment decision also explicitly mentions the resistance of those citizens. That is the power of 5·18," he said.