Signed Appeal Concerning Democracy in Korea by Academics Resident in Europe

We researchers and university professors in Europe share our best interests in the Republic of Korea (hereinafter referred as Korea) and sign this appeal to express our grave concern over the country’s democracy in a major set-back, which is evident in a series of political, economic and social changes brought about under the current Lee Myung-bak administration (hereinafter referred as the Administration).

While we are proud that Korea has achieved slow but steady progress in bringing its democracy forwards since the nation-wide democratic movement in June 1987, the series of recent events only prove that the Korean society is seeing its clock turned backwards beyond 1987, with such fundamentals of any democracy as freedom of thought, expression, assembly and association seriously undermined.

It is generally agreed that impartial efforts to exercise power and the underlying public confidence are the key to the legitimacy of a political regime constituted through democratic elections. The current Administration has however continued to ignore this critical premise of democracy and abuse its delegated power, leaving the society in a drastic deterioration of public confidence.

For the Administration to rectify its failing to deliver on the fundamentals of democracy and for the Korean society to redeem its prospects for further and sustainable developments, we, the undersigned, hereby strongly urge the Administration to:

1. Stop unjustified interventions into academic activities, including teaching and research

Professors and students at the Korea National University of Arts have recently set protests against the government interventions into the school‘s curriculums. The authorities also implemented audits pressed hard upon the school and found far from convincing or acceptable not only in terms of their level of intensity but also justifiability in question.

We recognise this case as that of serious ideological censorship re-emerging to operate in Korean academia which builds on as much teaching and research activities as anywhere else, and therefore urge the Administration to put an end to all sorts of such vigils that oppress academic freedom.

2. Ensure freedom of expression

We note with great concern that arrests have been made, targeting media workers that included journalists from the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and that a number of key figures in the press and media institutions were replaced by supporters of the Administration.

Korea was once a pioneering country that led to the blossoming of democracy with assistance of the Internet. The Administration is however pushing hard on the online community in an attempt to turn the country into a police regime where authoritarian control and terms of access to online activities are to be tightened.

It is more worrying that the authorities have also issued warnings of disciplinary measures to be taken against those school teachers who exercised their constitutional rights to freedom of conscience and participated in public appeals in relation to the current state of affairs.

We hereby urge the Administration to ultimately declare its will to guarantee freedom of expression and as its first steps, to stop its attempts to attain control over cyberspace and critical voices from media and school teachers.

3. Stop abuse of public force and ensure freedom of assembly and association

Last year, Amnesty International expressed grave concern over the excessive use of police force when dispersing peaceful protesters during candlelight vigils. Freedom of assembly and association are now often infringed upon by the authorities that deny protesters’ access to major public spaces around town, restraining the citizens from exercising their rights to participate in political agendas.

Therefore, we hereby strongly urge the Administration to stop abuse of public force and guarantee freedom of assembly and association found essential to any democracy and its citizens.

4. Empower the voices of the public

The Administration‘s dogmatic attitudes and approaches can be well illustrated via its constant attempts to enforce the Four Rivers Project whose frameworks are basically the same as the Great Canal Plan that was once marked by severe public opposition and then discarded subsequently.

We hereby urge the Administration to end its indifference towards the voices of the public, empower public opinion and work to share their values for better policy administration.

5. Ensure the right to survival for the vulnerable groups

The Administration has completely been indifferent to vulnerable groups in the society, despite the fact that their social and economic interests are in greater danger than ever amid the serious economic recession. And this has well been witnessed through the Administration’s indifferent approaches to irregular workers as well as through the inhumane incident at the site of the Yong-San redevelopment project which led to many deaths of the evicted.

We hereby urge the Administration to adopt substantial and profound measures in order to ensure the fundamental right to survival for those vulnerable, such as the urban poor, in socio-economic terms and work further to realise social justice founded upon the principles of mutual benefits and sharing for the society.

As of 19 June 2009