On the 13th, the Korea Broadcasting and Television Writers Association (Chairman Jeong Jae-hong) released a statement calling for the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol. Amidst the ongoing declarations calling for the impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol from all walks of life following the unconstitutional martial law declaration on the 3rd, Korean broadcast writers representing K-content have also raised their voices with one voice.

The statement titled ‘Impeach, arrest, investigate, and punish Yoon Seok-yeol, the ringleader of the civil war’ announced by the Korean Broadcasting Writers Association was participated by Park Hae-young of the dramas ‘My Liberation Diary’, Kang Eun-kyung of ‘Gyeongseong Creature’, Kim Eun-sook of ‘The Glory’, Park Jae-beom of ‘The Fiery Priest’, Kim Yi-young of ‘Celebrity’, Lee Woo-jung of the ‘Reply’ series, as well as Kang Sook-kyung of ‘Physical 100’, and Mo Eun-seol of ‘Black and White Chef’, who have gained attention through global entertainment shows.

On the 3rd, the Korean Broadcasting and Television Writers Association stated regarding the situation on the day of martial law, “The writers were also enraged and horrified by the bizarre experience of things that we thought were relics of the past jumping into reality and overwhelming everything,” and especially the phrase in Article 3 of the Martial Law Command‘s proclamation, “All media and publications are subject to the control of the Martial Law Command,” which they said “was a vivid shock, like having our heads stamped on by military boots.”

The writers said, “It’s been a long time since the ‘signs of martial law’ have intruded into the broadcasting field, which is the forward base of reality and most in touch with the times,” and criticized the cancellation of programs, replacement of hosts, and parachute appointments of broadcasting company presidents since the Yoon Seok-yeol government came to power. Above all, they continued their strong criticism, saying, “It goes without saying that the so-called ‘K-culture’, which raised Korea‘s status and national prestige in the world, has, in a single moment on the 3rd, smashed our national pride and national prestige to the ground and shaken the status and achievements of K-content to the core.”

The Korean Broadcasting and Television Writers Association also strongly criticized Yoon Seok-yeol’s speech on the 12th. President Yoon Seok-yeol still “has not woken up from the delusion of that day when he trampled the National Assembly, the temple of public opinion. He has not put down the gun he pointed at the people,“ and raised his voice saying, ”There is only one ending for the protagonist of this ‘mad character’. Impeach Yoon Seok-yeol immediately and arrest, investigate, and punish him!“

The writers emphasized their responsibility as writers who witness the times and inform future generations of them, and delivered a heavy message with a stern warning at the end of the statement. The writers emphasized, “The entire process of the civil war will be recorded in history in the name of truth. Accomplices who sympathized, aided, and cooperated with the leaders of the civil war in any way will also be stuffed with the name of collaborators. Thus, their names will be on our manuscripts for a long time.”

Jeong Jae-hong, the chairman of the Korean Writers Association, said, “This martial law situation has shaken the foundation of K-content, such as K-drama and K-variety shows, that scriptwriters have worked hard for for decades,” and “The leader of the civil war, Yoon Seok-yeol, must be arrested immediately and prosecuted.”


● The following is a statement from the Korean Broadcasting Writers Association urging the impeachment of Yoon Seok-yeol

Immediately impeach, arrest, investigate, and punish Yoon Seok-yeol, the ringleader of the rebellion!

Martial law, proclamation, control, punishment, blockade…
Armored vehicles on downtown roads, helicopters in the skies over the National Assembly, military boots trampling the hall of democracy…
And the confrontation between soldiers with guns and citizens fighting with their bare hands…

That night, December 3. Even at that time, the broadcasting writers preparing programs on the production site, in the editing room, and in front of their laptops doubted their eyes and ears. Words that had long since disappeared from even the writers’ manuscripts, and were thus already practically dead words, and scenes from long ago that were occasionally brought out in the preparation of historical documentaries, were being witnessed in real life. The gap and unreality between the lively and imaginative manuscript I am currently writing and the original text I am writing now are starkly apparent, and I am shocked by the atrocities and brutalities that have turned reality back to decades ago in an instant. The writers were also furious and trembled at the bizarre experience of things that I thought were relics of the past popping up in reality and overwhelming everything.

As a citizen, the shock and fear are also great, but what was even more realistic for the writers on the front lines of the so-called ‘K-content’ was a line in the proclamation. ‘All media and publications are under the control of the martial law command’. We know from history or from the experiences of our seniors what broadcasting was like during the military dictatorship. We know that the entire production process was thoroughly censored, and that even a single line of the script or a single word from a guest caused problems and caused hardships or even disappearance from the broadcasting scene. “There was a time like that?” As if listening to an old story, we had to experience that things that we had treated as stuffed relics in a museum could come to us as our reality. As if our heads were being trampled by military boots, with a vivid shock.

In fact, it has been a long time since the ‘precursor of martial law’ intruded into the broadcasting field, which is the forward base of reality and most in touch with the times. There were instances of looking to those in power in selecting items and scheduling, and there were instances where program hosts were replaced or even programs were canceled or canceled depending on the mood and intention of those in power. There were also repeated instances of broadcasting station heads being parachuted in. At a time when anxiety that the production autonomy and creative freedom that we took for granted could be violated was encroaching on the broadcasting field, martial law and the proclamation that day were the moment when the devil walked out of the curtain and revealed his true face to the world. And in the most violent way.

Everyone knows that the so-called ‘K-culture’, which has raised Korea‘s status and national prestige in the world, is a precious cultural fruit that blossomed after breaking through the dark ages of the past. It is self-evident that it was possible because there was a solid foundation of democracy, human rights, peace, and universal human values that our people fought for and protected with blood, sweat, and tears over the decades, and that are praised not only in Asia but also around the world. That is why our writers and the people are proud of our cultural achievements. It goes without saying that a single person who does not know this self-evident truth known to the whole world, in a single moment on December 3, shook our national pride and national prestige to the ground and shook the status and achievements of K-content to the core.

And yesterday, we shuddered once again while watching Yoon Seok-yeol’s address to the nation. The one who was once the president of this country was someone without a shred of reason, conscience, or shame. He was just a man full of hostility, madness, and anachronistic delusions. He still hasn‘t woken up from the delusions of that day when he trampled the National Assembly, the temple of public opinion. He hasn’t put down the gun he pointed at the people. We don‘t know how much more evil he will commit in the future and bring the entire country into ruin. We don’t know how much more he will make the people despair and destroy democracy. Our reality is not a fantasy SF drama. There is only one ending to a ridiculous drama featuring such a ‘crazy character’.

He should not be the president of this country for even a single moment.
He should not be left in that serious and important position for even a single day.
Impeach Yoon Seok-yeol immediately and arrest, investigate, and punish him!

2024.12.13. (Association) Korean Broadcast Writers Association

-Epilogue-

The shocking behaviors of Yoon Seok-yeol and his group during the internal rebellion are being revealed one after another. The boiling national desire to immediately oust him from the presidency has been discarded by the ruling party lawmakers blinded by political calculations.

Everyday shock and anger have become the daily routine of the people. The entire process of the internal rebellion will be recorded in history in the name of truth.

Accomplices who sympathized, aided, and cooperated with the leaders of the internal rebellion in any way will also be stuffed with the name of collaborators. Thus, their names will be on our manuscripts for a long time. That is the responsibility of the writers who witnessed, recorded, and informed future generations of the times, and it is a warning from the people.

Hong Se-young, Donga.com Reporter projecthong@donga.com