Korean students gathered on Low Steps to protest against Korea’s president

Been too distracted by American politics to hear about what’s been going on in other countries? Bwogger Youngweon Lee tells you about a political scandal that has Korean students at Columbia taking a stand.

While America was going up in flames amidst the election drama, across the Pacific Ocean, Korea was having a political scandal of its own, and Columbia students are organizing against it. The close relationship that the current president had had with a religious cult leader surfaced, and it was discovered that his daughter, Choi Sun-sil, was giving advice to the president on everything from wardrobe choice to her speeches. Choi was not an official member of the president’s cabinet, nor was she cleared for security in any way, yet she had virtually full access to the nation’s secrets and was essentially controlling the country. Choi was also involved with a few shady, illicit businesses in Germany. Choi’s daughter, too, had unfair advantages in high school and for college admissions, even changing the admissions system of the most prestigious women’s university in Korea just for her. Choi is currently being investigated in Seoul. President Park’s approval ratings are in the single digits, and hundreds of thousands of people protested in Seoul. Last Thursday, a group of Korean undergraduate and graduate students at Columbia gathered to protest and demand President Park’s resignation.

Below is their official statement:

Joint Statement by the Korean Students of Columbia University on the Current Affairs of Korea

Confronted by the recent Park Geun-hye and Choi Soon-sil-gate that is shaking the very core of our society, we are forced to ask ourselves a fundamental question: is the Republic of Korea a truly democratic nation? The current state of affairs is the result of presidential incompetence — President Park has abused her mandate to privatize power and abet in the monopolization of government affairs by a mere civilian and her cronies. As Korean students studying abroad, we cannot help but feel mortified whenever our fellow students ask us about this unbelievable incident. We also feel anger at the fact that President Park and her political allies continue to monopolize government affairs even in the midst of unravelling the truth of this gate, let alone take responsibility. We, therefore, demand the immediate resignation of President Park, punishment of all those involved, a thorough investigation of the truth, and the normalization of our constitutional state.

President Park has taken the liberty of abusing her temporarily bestowed presidential authority to make unilateral decisions on important national matters that require public consensus. It is even more shocking that these decisions were not derived from proper government operation, but influenced by Choi Soon-sil and a group of other shadowy power elites. They intervened in all levels of government affairs, hijacked the presidential power of appointment to establish corrupt foundations, solicited illegal funds from corporations, and embezzled public funds from the national coffer. Their actions mean only one thing — that the current regime’s legal and institutional systems are fundamentally broken, let alone be able to function as a democratic regime.

We also hold the political factions, mainstream media, and the prosecution service responsible for turning a blind eye to the corruption and incompetence of President Park and her cronies. The ruling party must repent for their abetment in the monopolization of government affairs by the shadowy power elites, and it must actively cooperate in our investigation of the truth. The media must take this crisis as a moment to self reflect on their past deeds of journalistic bias. The prosecution service must bear in mind that any more attempts at political scapegoating will only exacerbate the people’s distrust in the judicial system. Remember that the public is watching you.

We, the Korean students of Columbia University, are gathered here today to stand by our fellow Koreans everywhere in the world who are longing for the restoration of democracy and real societal changes in our nation. Above and beyond a proper investigation and due punishment for all those involved in this gate, we sincerely hope for a society that holds criminals accountable, reigns in on the misuse of power, and a government that truly reflects the will of the people. And this crisis has presented itself as an opportunity to do so — it is our chance to transform our nation into a true democratic republic. We hope that our anger will be a source of positive energy that encourages us to revisit the fundamentals of democracy and to seek ways to make our nation better. We, therefore, demand the following:

First, we demand the immediate resignation of President Park for her involvement in this national fiasco.
Second, we demand a thorough prosecutorial investigation of the shadowy power elites for their involvement in the monopolization of government affairs.
Third, we demand an active role from the National Assembly in the investigation of Park-Choi gate, and also the restoration of constitutional state order in accordance with the wishes of the people.

Signed by the Korean Undergraduate and Graduate Students of Columbia University