Lee announces national sovereignty day, martial law archive to mark 78th Constitution Day

President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday that the government will designate Dec. 3 each year as national sovereignty day to preserve Korea’s legacy of public resistance to martial law.

“In keeping with the spirit of popular sovereignty, our government will remember this remarkable chapter in our history and carry it forward,” Lee wrote in a Facebook post marking the country’s 78th Constitution Day. His remarks refer to his ousted predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched imposition of martial law.

“On this day in 1948, Korea promulgated its Constitution and declared that the people are the rightful owners of the nation,” he continued. “What has sustained the democratic republic for the past 78 years has been the principle that state sovereignty resides in and derives from Koreans.”

Lee noted that Constitution Day serves as a reminder to reflect on how the constitutional values of popular sovereignty, freedom and democracy can be upheld in everyday life.

“Korea’s modern history has been shaped by the people’s struggle to defend their sovereignty against forces seeking to undermine constitutional values, weaken democracy and place political power in private hands,” he wrote.

“We have learned throughout our history that democracy, once won, is never guaranteed forever. It must be defended continuously through public engagement, courage and solidarity.”

The president continued that Yoon’s declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, reminded Korea that “threats to democracy are not confined to history but can recur even in the modern day.”

“But through the ‘Revolution of Light,’ Koreans proved to the world that the spirit of popular sovereignty enshrined in our Constitution is alive,” he wrote.

The Revolution of Light refers to the public movement in which people took to the streets with light sticks to protest Yoon’s martial law declaration.

Along with establishing national sovereignty day, Lee announced that his administration plans to collect and preserve records of the Revolution of Light.

“It is intended to help Korean democracy gain wider recognition as a model for democracies around the world,” Lee wrote. “To advance that goal, we launched the ‘Committee of Light’ on Monday.”

He also unveiled a certificate of appreciation that will be presented to those representing the public at the committee’s inauguration ceremony later on Friday.

“I wish that I could present it in person to everyone who defended Korea’s democracy through the bitter winter cold, but for now, I am sharing it through this photograph,” the president wrote. “I hope that each of you will add your name and keep it as a memento.”

He then once again expressed his gratitude to those who participated in the anti-martial law rallies.

“I will never forget those who spent freezing winter nights on asphalt streets while sharing blankets; the young people who stood guard outside the National Assembly in case martial law was reimposed; and the countless Koreans who rushed to Namtaeryeong to stand in solidarity with farmers,” Lee added. “I sincerely thank every one of you.”

BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]