Korean citizens recommended for Nobel Peace Prize for defending democracy against martial law
In a rare tribute to civil resistance, the Korean citizens who mobilized to thwart former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s emergency martial law decree have been recommended for the Nobel Peace Prize — a gesture scholars describe as a definitive recognition of the nation’s democratic resilience. A group of political scientists — including current and former leaders of the International Political Science Association — recommended the “citizens of the Republic of Korea,” described as a “citizen collective,” for the Nobel Peace Prize last month, citing their peaceful resistance during the 2024 martial law crisis, when a brief but sweeping emergency decree upended civilian governance and prompted nationwide protests before being lifted. According to Kim Eui-young, a political science professor at Seoul National University who coordinated the IPSA World Congress in Seoul last July, the endorsers described citizens’ protests against the martial law declaration as a “Revolution of Light,” invoking the largely peaceful candlelit protests that mobilized across the country. The p
