Film Industry Calls for Immediate Impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol

A coalition of 6,388 filmmakers, including acclaimed directors Bong Joon-ho (봉준호) of Parasite and Kim Sung-soo (김성수) of Seoul's Spring, has issued a statement demanding the immediate impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol (윤석열) and an end to the ruling party's complicity in insurrection. On the morning of December 13, the filmmakers released an urgent statement titled, "An Orderly Early Resignation is a Second Insurrection. The People’s Power Party Must Stop Supporting Insurrection and Impeach Yoon Seok-yeol Immediately!" This marks the second urgent statement from the film community, following an initial declaration on December 7, where 77 film organizations and 2,518 individuals called for Yoon's impeachment.

In their latest statement, the filmmakers criticized Yoon's declaration of a state of emergency and the ruling party's absence during the impeachment vote, stating, "Ultimately, the members of the People’s Power Party mocked Article 46, Section 2 of the Constitution, which states that 'Members of the National Assembly shall perform their duties in accordance with their conscience, prioritizing the national interest,' by collectively leaving the assembly and shirking their responsibilities, thereby choosing the path of insurrectionists by shielding Yoon Seok-yeol."

The filmmakers expressed their dismay, saying, "Along with countless citizens, we have watched the failure to vote with heavy hearts from the streets, workplaces, and our own lives. We had hoped that the members of the People’s Power Party would belatedly heed the will of the people and participate in the vote, but such cinematic events never occurred. In this chaos initiated by Yoon's delusional declaration of a state of emergency, we can only envision impeachment or immediate resignation as outcomes."

They further stated, "The unilateral statement requesting cooperation from the public, the National Assembly, and the opposition for national stability without even specifying a timeline for early resignation resonates with our understanding of a second insurrection. A president who violates the Constitution must be held accountable through the methods prescribed by the Constitution. We will not tolerate any attempts to seek unconstitutional methods while claiming the state of emergency is unconstitutional."

The filmmakers emphasized that the true agents of national stability, chaos resolution, and order restoration are the citizens of South Korea, and they, as filmmakers, are also part of the populace. They noted, "Despite our diverse backgrounds in gender, age, experience, and fields of activity, we share a clear common goal: the resignation of Yoon Seok-yeol. Like the majority of citizens, we are not confused at all. It is Yoon and the People’s Power Party, who exclude the nation and its people from their priorities to maintain power, that are the true source of chaos."

The filmmakers concluded their statement by urging the members of the People’s Power Party to fulfill their roles as representatives of the people, clearly define their stance against Yoon, who is a current offender of insurrection, and participate in the vote without hesitation if they deem the state of emergency unconstitutional.

The second urgent statement was collected from December 9 to 12, with signatures from eight film organizations and 6,388 individual filmmakers. Notably, many prominent directors, including Bong Joon-ho and Kim Sung-soo, joined the call, drawing significant attention.