Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
President seeks to designate Dec. 3 ‘People’s Sovereignty Day’
President Lee Jae Myung delivers a special address to the nation marking the first anniversary of the Dec. 3 martial law crisis, from the presidential office in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
By Anna J. Park
Lee Jae Myung delivers special public address on first anniversary of failed martial law attempt
Marking the first anniversary of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law and the subsequent national crisis, President Lee Jae Myung announced Wednesday that Dec. 3 will be designated “People’s Sovereignty Day” to honor the courage and actions of ordinary citizens.
Delivering a special address to the nation from the presidential briefing room in Seoul, Lee expressed gratitude to citizens who “rushed to the National Assembly without a moment’s hesitation” after the late-night declaration of martial law, which caught the Korean public by surprise. The president said that the legislature’s move to lift martial law and the military’s decision to abide by civilian authority were possible only because “the people themselves stepped forward.”
“It was unprecedented in the 21st century for a loyalist coup attempt to occur in a democracy comparable to the Republic of Korea, and equally unprecedented in world history that unarmed citizens thwarted it peacefully and with dignity,” the president said. “Paradoxically, the Dec. 3 coup attempt became an opportunity to show the world the strength of our people’s democratic spirit and the remarkable resilience of Korean democracy.”
President Lee Jae Myung responds to questions from the press following his special address marking the first anniversary of the Dec. 3 martial law crisis, at the presidential office in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
Responding to a question from The Korea Times about how he hoped to mark People’s Sovereignty Day, Lee said he wanted the occasion to honor the moment when Koreans “resisted injustice and, through peaceful and lawful means, set the nation back on the right course.” The events surrounding the Dec. 3 crisis, he said, should stand as one of many episodes in which ordinary people prevailed “beautifully, peacefully and strictly in accordance with legal procedure.”
“To ensure that future generations can remember and experience this achievement, it is important to establish the day as a national holiday marking the start of the ‘Revolution of Light’ and the full realization of popular sovereignty,” he said. “People should have at least one day each year to reflect on it and renew their commitment. I believe it is more than worthy of such recognition.”
Lee acknowledged that creating a new national holiday is not a decision the executive branch can make on its own.
“It must go through the legislative process in the National Assembly,” he said. “Ultimately, the decision will depend on the will of the people.”
He also noted that he thought the people of Korea were deserving of the highest international recognition for their actions.
“If the Korean people were to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for saving democracy, restoring peace and demonstrating the power of democracy to the world, it would serve as a profound turning point for all nations shaken by conflict and division,” Lee said.
President Lee Jae Myung responds to questions from the press following his special address marking the first anniversary of the Dec. 3 martial law crisis, at the presidential office in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
The president also stressed that the crisis was not merely a domestic matter.
“As many international outlets noted, had Korean democracy collapsed, democratic backsliding would have spread across Asia and beyond,” he said. “No matter how sophisticated our laws and institutions may be, without the capacity of the people to uphold and act on them, they remain nothing more than an empty shell.”
The president went on to call it “a landmark moment that will be remembered in the global history of democracy.”
President Lee Jae Myung responds to questions from the press, following his special address marking the first anniversary of the Dec. 3 martial-law crisis, at the presidential office in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonha
He added that investigations and trials related to the attempted insurrection “remain ongoing and must be carried through to full accountability.”
“To build a nation where no one can ever again dream of a coup — a nation where the light of popular sovereignty can never be threatened — a ‘just unity’ is essential,” Lee said.
When asked to clarify what he meant by “just unity,” the president said it must rest on “justice, common sense, the law and basic morality,” adding that it should be “something all members of society can agree upon.”
Lee said that while he had been elected as the standard-bearer of a particular political camp, he was “mindful that the president’s foremost role is to represent all citizens, mediate conflicts and guide the country toward unity.”
But he cautioned that the idea of unity is often misused.
“Those involved must reflect deeply and show a genuine commitment to preventing any recurrence,” he said.
True unity, he added, “is not patching over wounds, but moving forward together in a shared direction that the public can accept.”