President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a ministry briefing held at Cheong Wa Dae's Yeongbingwan on Thursday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a ministry briefing held at Cheong Wa Dae's Yeongbingwan on Thursday. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung renewed his pledge Friday to designate Dec. 3 as "National People's Sovereignty Day" each year, saying he would ensure the meaning and spirit of that date are fully passed on to future generations.

Writing on Facebook on Constitution Day under the title "To the great people of Korea who defended democracy," Lee said the occasion prompted him to reflect on how to uphold the values of popular sovereignty, freedom and democracy enshrined in the Constitution in everyday life.

Lee recalled that on July 17, 1948, South Korea proclaimed its founding Constitution and declared that sovereignty belongs to the people. "The principle that 'sovereignty of the Republic of Korea resides with the people, and all state authority emanates from the people' has been the compass that has sustained the democratic republic of Korea for the past 78 years," he said.

He said South Korea's modern history had been a fierce struggle in which citizens defended their own sovereignty against forces seeking to undermine constitutional values and democracy and to privatize power. "Through our long history, we have confirmed that democracy, once won, is not guaranteed forever — it must be constantly defended through civic participation, courage and solidarity," he said.

Lee also referenced the Dec. 3, 2024, emergency martial law incident, saying the midnight declaration "reminded us all that the threat to democracy is not a thing of the past but a reality that can recur at any time, even in today's Republic of Korea."

He said the Korean people had proven to the world through the "Revolution of Light" that the spirit of popular sovereignty inscribed in the Constitution lives and breathes in their daily lives. "The people's sovereignty government will remember and carry forward this great history," he said.

Lee also said the government would systematically collect and preserve records of the "Revolution of Light" so that "K-democracy" can spread widely as a model for global democracy. He noted that to that end, the government launched the "Revolution of Light Committee" last Monday.

Lee attached to his post a certificate of gratitude addressed to citizens who took action during the Dec. 3 martial law crisis. "Finally, I am attaching a certificate of gratitude for the citizens joining us at today's civic invitation event," he wrote. "I wish I could deliver it in person to everyone who protected Korean democracy through the bitter cold of midwinter, but I convey my heart through this image. I hope each of you will keep it with your name on it."

He added: "I will never forget the citizens who shared a single emergency blanket on the asphalt in the dead of winter and stayed up through the night, the young people who stood guard in front of the National Assembly against the possibility of another martial law declaration, and the countless people who rushed to Namtaeryeong to stand in solidarity with farmers. I am sincerely grateful."


moone@heraldcorp.com