Director Bong Joon Ho, actress Moon So-ri, and an additional 2,518 prominent members of South Korea's cinematic community have jointly issued a bold declaration, demanding the suspension, impeachment, and arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol. This forceful statement, titled "Depose and Apprehend Yoon Suk Yeol, Architect of Rebellion," was publicly released on Saturday by an alliance of 77 influential film organizations, including the prestigious Directors Guild of Korea and the Producers Guild of Korea. Renowned actors such as Kim Go-eun, Park Eun-bin, and Jun Ji-hyun also lent their names to this monumental appeal.
The filmmakers asserted that neutralizing President Yoon's executive authority is the paramount step towards mitigating the ongoing turmoil and reviving South Korea's tarnished global image. "To the film industry, Yoon Suk Yeol has ceased being a president; he is now a purveyor of rebellion," the statement proclaimed. "We insist on his immediate suspension, impeachment, and apprehension."
This call to action arose amidst President Yoon's controversial martial law declaration on Tuesday, which was swiftly overturned by the National Assembly within a mere two and a half hours. The filmmakers condemned this declaration as both illegal and unconstitutional, drawing parallels to the oppressive era of military dictatorships. They cited reports suggesting that martial law was merely a veiled threat to opposition parties, depicting a catastrophic breakdown of governmental structures.
"This unfolding drama surpasses even the most daring cinematic narratives," they exclaimed. "Yoon Suk Yeol poses the utmost peril to the Republic of Korea's survival. His removal from office is an urgent necessity to preserve our democratic republic."
The filmmakers also expressed their lament over the decline of South Korea's esteemed cultural reputation on a global scale. "The once-vibrant Korean Wave has significantly waned under this administration," they lamented. They further scrutinized the government's cultural policies, accusing the president of unilaterally disrupting funding allocations for the Korean Film Council and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
The filmmakers emphasized the urgency of decisive action, advocating for impeachment or any other viable means to expel the president from office. The statement was open for signatures from Thursday at 5 p.m. until Friday at 11:59 p.m.
Among the notable signatories were Bong Joon Ho, Moon So-ri, and other luminaries such as directors Jeong Ji-young, Byun Young-joo, Yang Ik-june, Jang Joon-hwan, Jo Sung-hee, Cho Hyun-chul, Oh Jung-min, and Lim Sun-ae.
