단상斷想

Right now, South Korea stands at a critical crossroads. This is not a simple matter of political strife. It is a time for decisions in the name of judicial justice, in the name of the national community, and to protect the fundamental order of the democratic republic. As the judicial pursuit of responsibility against former President Yoon Suk-yeol is expected to begin in earnest, we must face the meaning of historical judgment that goes beyond simple punishment. The numerous anti-constitutional and anti-democratic acts committed by Yoon Suk-yeol during his time in power are not mere errors in the performance of his duties. It was an act of insurrection that thoroughly betrayed the nation and the people, and a treason and coup d'état that will remain in the history of the nation. Now, at this moment, judgment to establish justice before the nation and the constitution is a calling of the times that can no longer be postponed.

During his tenure, Yoon Seok-yeol privately mobilized state violence through intelligence agencies and the prosecution, thoroughly violating fundamental rights and democratic order guaranteed by the Constitution. To maintain power and suppress the opposition, he moved state institutions like his private army, and carried out systematic surveillance and suppression against the opposition party, civil society, and the press. This cannot be dismissed as a simple abuse of power or an overreach of authority. This is an intentional and planned act of insurrection to destroy the essence of democracy and subvert the constitutional order, and is clearly a serious crime that should be punished as "disturbing the constitutional order" under Article 87 of the Constitution and Article 87 of the Criminal Act.

Due to his unique background as a former Prosecutor General, Yoon Seok-yeol should have been in a position to understand the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary more than anyone else. However, he turned the prosecution organization, to which he belonged, into a tool for maintaining power, rather than an independent constitutional body. The prosecutor's sword is no longer for justice, but has been transformed into a symbol of fear to remove political enemies and silence critics. He violated justice in the name of justice, and used the authority of the law as a shield for his regime. As a result, the judicial order of the Republic of Korea was shaken to its core, and the credibility of the law plummeted.

The rule of this regime, which has neutralized state institutions and privately appropriated power, was thoroughly anti-constitutional, and as a result, the constitutional order of the Republic of Korea was threatened. Political intervention by the National Intelligence Service, the instrumentalization of the Board of Audit and Inspection and the prosecution for political retaliation, the seizure of the police through the establishment of a police bureau, blatant attempts to suppress the media, and systematic intervention in elections were all serious criminal acts that shook the foundations of the democratic republic. The ruling style he pursued was not public leadership with the people, but an imperial rule that thoroughly dominated the state. This rule evokes the shadow of the past military dictatorship and will be recorded as a representative example of the regression of democracy in the Republic of Korea.

Yoon Seok-yeol's crimes are not limited to one or two. Abuse of authority, violation of the Public Official Election Act, public opinion manipulation, abuse of state affairs, collusion with companies and suspicion of family favors, illegal political fund-raising, illegal surveillance by intelligence agencies, and oppression of opposition parties and civic groups are just some of the extensive and complex serious crime allegations surrounding him that are difficult to list individually. If even one of these crimes is proven, he should be recorded not as a simple politician or head of the executive branch, but as a criminal who tried to destroy the Republic of Korea, and his responsibility must be judged judicially.

Now, the Republic of Korea asks once again. Will we repeat the past? The tragedy of not being able to punish pro-Japanese collaborators during the Japanese colonial period, will we repeat the mistakes of Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, who committed military dictatorship and received impunity? The moment we give Yoon Seok-yeol impunity, we will not be able to hold our heads up in the face of history again. This is not political retaliation. This is a self-purification of democracy, and the minimum duty to protect the nation's self-esteem. Those in power who could not be punished in the name of the law must eventually be punished in the name of history and the nation.

According to Articles 37 and 38 of the Criminal Act, his crimes can be punished by concurrent punishment, and in particular, if the crime of insurrection is confirmed, the most severe punishment under the Criminal Act, such as the death penalty or life imprisonment, must be justly applied. If South Korea no longer wants to be a backward country that gives impunity to those in power, we must uphold the principle of the rule of law to the end, that no one is an exception this time. The conviction of Yoon Seok-yeol is not just retribution for one person. It is a historical answer that confirms the dignity of the constitution that the nation must protect and the self-esteem of the nation that the people must protect.

"There is no peace without justice." This saying is not just rhetoric, but a command that history throws at us. This is not a problem of one individual named Yoon Suk-yeol. He is a grave challenge to democracy and a traitor who aimed at the heart of the Republic of Korea. In the name of the nation, we must punish him. Only then can we pass on a country that we are not ashamed of to our descendants, and protect the living constitution, a just nation, and a dignified community. A nation that is silent before history cannot have a future. The decision we must make now is not just a judgment on one person. It is the most important historical judgment that will determine the fate of Korean democracy.