단상斷想

In fact, the problem wasn't complicated from the beginning. Distrust is in the realm of emotion, but common sense is in the realm of reason. In the final days leading up to the impeachment trial verdict for Yoon Suk-yeol, distrust that overturned the common sense of the Constitutional Court, such as the "5:3 deadlock theory" and the "4:4 dismissal theory," was rampant. But the Constitutional Court justices ruled 'according to common sense'.

This light of common sense was temporarily darkened by someone's incitement, delusion, and wishful thinking. But in the end, common sense, the minimum agreement of the community that we have protected together, prevailed. Ahead of the Constitutional Court's ruling, I, too, was urged by many acquaintances via phone calls and messengers to 'predict the outcome'.

The author also initially mentioned 'firm citation' but ultimately only expressed the opinion of 'citation'. Because so many people around me were worried about the rejection theory, even when I argued for 'citation', my voice lacked strength and I felt somewhat intimidated.

So, what should we do when delusion and rash behavior spread in our society and the boundary between truth and falsehood becomes blurred? That's right. We must trust the power of common sense. This common sense is not the judgment of a few Constitutional Court judges, but the tower of democracy that our people have built with blood through 3.15 and 4.19, 5.18 and 6.10.

We have now come to trust ourselves more and also feel a great sense of pride. The impeachment verdict of Yoon Suk-yeol is not simply the story of the departure of a 'mad politician'. Our people have shown the power to control misguided power in a mature and orderly manner. This pride and confidence is more than enough to compensate for the socio-economic damage that had to be paid for by the impeachment.

On April 4, the National Assembly passed the "Letter of Gratitude to the People of the Republic of Korea for Lifting the December 3rd Yoon Suk-yeol Emergency Martial Law" at the plenary session with the unanimous approval of all 187 members present. It is the first time in 65 years since the April 19 Revolution in 1960 that a letter of gratitude to the people has been adopted at the National Assembly plenary session.

The letter of appreciation included the content: “The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea expresses infinite respect and gratitude to our people who defended the Republic of Korea with democratic determination and bold action. Our people's resolute resistance and peaceful protest will forever shine in the history of the Republic of Korea.”

In this impeachment crisis, along with the victory of common sense, another aspect that should be 'evaluated' is the restraint and patience shown by mature citizens, and their firm belief in democracy. If it weren't for the sacrifice and dedication of the brave citizens and parliamentary aides who rushed to the National Assembly as soon as martial law was declared, the worst-case scenario could have unfolded, with the plenary hall being trampled by soldiers' boots and lawmakers being dragged out.

Moreover, we should also commend the efforts of citizens who rushed to the square every weekend despite the cold winter. Numerous citizens held various cheering sticks and protested, but there was dignity and restraint rather than anger. A scene in which a citizen said, "We were not swayed by emotions. What we want is not just the resignation of one person, but a better democracy" was even more impressive.

The mature attitude of citizens rationally judging, maintaining order to the end, and contemplating the 'path' for the next generation is the most valuable 'medal' and a strong 'root' that supports democracy that we have gained from this impeachment situation.

I don't want to mention Yoon Seok-yeol anymore, but I would like to add just one word. From the time he first entered politics on June 29, 2021, I had a strong suspicion that he would 'cause an accident' someday, even if it wasn't the tragic ending like today.

Even if we overlook the brazen audacity of someone who, using the "stories" he came up with while failing the bar exam nine times in Sillim-dong as his foundation, now aims for the presidency, the despicable and petty "evasion of responsibility" shown to the military by the commander-in-chief during this impeachment crisis is a deplorable and shameful act.

Yoon Seok-yeol's face, as he flatly denies knowing the orders that the soldiers clearly heard in order to save himself, and the pathetic struggle of a cowardly and selfish powerful figure, made the people ashamed on his behalf. This impeachment crisis has starkly revealed the true face of those in power that is prevalent in Korean society.

Yoon Seok-yeol passed the responsibility for something he clearly ordered on to subordinates who had no idea what was going on. The commander-in-chief of the armed forces not only failed to protect his subordinates, but also tarnished their honor, forced them to lie, and tried to wear the bulletproof vest of their sacrifice alone. Yoon Seok-yeol caused enormous trouble to the entire country with the declaration of martial law, but the most devastating thing is that he tried to humiliate and exploit the soldiers.

After Yoon Seok-yeol, the next target we must liquidate in the process of this impeachment situation is the far-right YouTubers who are obsessed with making money. The '4:4 dismissal theory' that they spread without any coverage or confirmation caused extreme confrontation between camps and social chaos throughout the impeachment situation. Their behavior of spreading fake information goes beyond simply expressing political opinions and is producing clearly false and fabricated information, which is causing serious social harm.

In particular, the purpose of the content they distribute has become a means of 'extorting' money from people who are trapped in confirmation bias, rather than for political public interest. As a result, the unfounded prediction that 'the Constitutional Court will conclude 4-4 on the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol' was merely incitement that was not based on legal facts or even minimal coverage or confirmation.

Turning a blind eye to the violations of the law in Yoon Seok-yeol's clear destruction of the constitutional order, a 'serious crime,' and only presenting the number '4:4,' which is likely to appeal to supporters, to incite anxiety among supporters and induce views and Super Chat is nothing more than a kind of 'criminal act.'

Political far-right YouTubers only wear the skin of news, and are only focused on business such as sponsorship, Super Chat, membership, and merchandise sales through repeated 'fear stimulation' and 'hope torture.' This repetition of anxiety and anger frames and induction of emotional exhaustion ultimately increases the political fatigue of supporters and leads to political aversion throughout society.

The spread of false information and incitement shown by conservative far-right YouTubers this time, regardless of the truth, must be filtered out through mature civic awareness and democratic procedures. Spreading false information is not just a matter of freedom of political expression. It is a criminal act that blurs the public's ability to judge facts and destroys the constitutional order.

While watching this impeachment process, I had many regrettable moments and was sometimes skeptical about 'politics'. But the people themselves did not waver. No matter how much the politicians manipulated politics as they pleased and ignored public opinion, it was the people who silently overcame all the adversities and hardships.

This impeachment of Yoon Seok-yeol may seem obvious to us, but it would have been impossible without the public's belief in and love for democracy. Tonight is a happy night just to be able to boast our democracy to the world.