hankyoreh

Today, June 10, marks the 21st anniversary of the June Struggle. You can still hear the passionate cries to “Abolish the decision to keep the current constitution!” (Hoheon Cheolpe) and “Overthrow the dictatorship!” (Dokjae Tado) of June 1987, more than two decades ago. The protests began with university students and, once the “necktie brigades” joined in, quickly spread throughout the country. Eventually, after an intense public struggle, the protests won the “surrender” of June 29, in the form of a proposal to amend the Constitution to allow for direct presidential elections. At the time, winning direct presidential elections was a precious victory, because we won that most basic of democratic rights, being able to pick the country’s leader by the people’s own hands, and it is because of this that the June Struggle is regarded as a historic event in modern Korean history, one in which we secured procedural democracy.

Now, just over two decades later, we meet another June Struggle. The candlelight protests that were inspired by the American beef affair have continued now for more than a month, and have become the most serious crisis situation since June 1987. The original June Struggle and the current candlelight protests resemble each other in that both are about restoring democracy, but in terms of substance they are qualitatively different. Korean democracy is evolving to a new level with the candlelight protests. They are expanding this democracy and giving it more depth.

The candlelight protests were different from the start. They began with high school girls making the simple demand that they “want to be able to eat safe beef.” The protests began on May 2 at Cheonggye Plaza and were weak at first, but all of a sudden became something massive. Mothers pushing baby carriages, white collar workers in professional attire, and university students otherwise busy competing to find jobs have since joined in.

The protests differ from what happened two decades ago in terms of appearance, as well. For starters, the candlelight protests have created a festive atmosphere. On the front lines there have been tug-of-war entanglements with police, but to the rear people have been singing and dancing. The “three day, two night national overnight retreat” held last weekend shows this symbolically. At the same time, the voices of the protesters were stern. At first they called for the government to withdraw its decision to renew American beef imports and said the beef deal was invalid, but they soon openly began yelling, “You eat mad cows!” and “Out with Lee Myung-bak.” They have straightforwardly asserted their rights and views through peaceful means, and they are truly the future of Korea.

There is but one reason they have been hollering at the government from the streets, and for more than a month now. They wanted to confirm that they are owner of this country. The June Struggle won procedural democracy, but that has grown empty as time goes on. Until now we have been satisfied with the fact that we have come to choose our presidents through democratic procedures such as direct elections and the secret ballot, but now the people want to go beyond those formal procedures and see the realization of substantive democracy. In other words, people are not going to let a president have his way with the country, this while ignoring the will of the people, just because the election is over. This government needs to take serious note of the fact that the most popular song at the candlelight protests is “Article One of the Constitution.”

Citizens are making different kinds of demands of the government. It is of no small significance that the candlelight protests began with the issue of beef, of what the country eats. These protests, therefore, clearly show that the government looses its raison d’etre if it is unable to satisfy the people’s quality of life concerns. People are no longer going to put up with the government if it does not adequately take care of the basic conditions of the people’s lives, how they eat, drink and reside. Now citizens demand that the government guarantee democracy in their everyday lives, and want to see a society in which there is economic balance and social justice instead of vulgar materialism.

It is certainly a crisis for representative democracy if the people take to the streets to make political demands. The political establishment needs to take serious note of the warning it is being sent by this “politics in the street.” It would of course not be desirable to have “street politics” replace “Yeouido politics,” Yeouido being the location of the National Assembly. However, the direct democracy that is “politics in the street” will continue if the political establishment continues to look like it is stuck back in a bygone era.

Looking at the way the protests have unfolded for over a month now, you can be sure to call this a “candlelight revolution.” Diverse groups of people, in the hundreds of thousands, are maintaining a peaceful protest culture, making demands about issues close to their daily lives like food, and are honorably asserting that they are the sovereign owners of this country. If this is not a “revolution of values,” what is?

Today, across the country, one million people are expected to hold candles high. Their demand is simple: that this government listen to the voices of the people and follow their demands. It’s “democracy” they’re shouting. President Lee Myung-bak mustn’t think that following the will of the people is political defeat. Neither should he try to be victorious over the people using physical strength. We earnestly urge him once again to humbly accept the will of the people. We hope that this day of the 21st anniversary of the June Struggle will be recorded in history as the “candlelight revolution” that brought Korean democracy to a new level.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]