Yoon Suk-yeol👹, who undermines human dignity and the values of democracy, must step down immediately!
“I am living in shame amid the ruins.”
Every day, I watch and listen to news about war and death. And now, I am about to be entangled in that war. No longer can I stand in the classroom and speak of peace, life, and the value of coexistence as ideals we must collectively strive to achieve.
I have witnessed the suffering of history trampled by shallow political calculations. No longer can I teach in the classroom with respect for the universal human rights and the dignity of history paid for by the blood of victims.
I see relentless hatred and hostility directed at women, workers, people with disabilities, and foreigners. No longer can I stand in the classroom and claim that ours is a society where every citizen enjoys equal rights.
After the Itaewon tragedy, as I called the roll in my first lecture, I didn’t know how to compose my face in front of names that would no longer answer. No longer can I ask my students about their well-being with the same joy and anticipation as before.
Even when a young person loses their life while serving their country, I cannot know what injustices or stubborn arrogance led to their death. No longer can I encourage a student preparing for military leave, thanking them for protecting the country and wishing them a safe return.
At the university graduation ceremony, I saw graduates in black suits being forcefully dragged out by their arms. No longer can I claim that our classrooms are spaces of absolute freedom and critical discourse, untouchable by any force.
I have witnessed the hollowing out of medical school classrooms over two semesters, as universities face the destructive pace of structural reform. No longer can I confidently assert that the foundations of higher education, upheld by social consensus, will remain intact.
I hear countless expressions of outrage every day. Yet, instead of remorse, I see excuses and endless justifications scattered into the void. No longer can I teach that admitting fault, apologizing, and resolving never to repeat one’s mistakes are the first steps toward mutual respect.
Every day, I witness the collapse of boundaries between public and private, and the erosion of even the minimum standards of fairness. No longer can I tell my students that living sincerely and diligently, trusting in fairness, leads to a meaningful and humane life.
I see trust and norms disintegrating day by day. No longer can I argue that mutual trust and voluntary adherence to shared norms are the cornerstones of community.
I witness countless lies daily. Lies lead to more lies, with no one held accountable for previous ones. No longer can I urge my students to communicate honestly, with thoughts grounded in truth.
I see the degradation of language every day. Those who dominate with words are endlessly rude, while those who excuse themselves twist dictionaries to fit their stubborn arguments. No longer can I encourage thoughtful, precise, and trustworthy communication while urging respect for others’ words.
Each day, I accumulate shame. The shame hardens into calluses, and my senses grow numb. I have stopped expecting anything and have come to accept this absence of expectation as normal.
Each day, I witness despair devoid of humanity, and I, too, grow to resemble that despair.
A poet once wrote, “Despair never reflects on itself to the end.” Yet he also inscribed, in tiny letters, a faint hope: “The wind will come from elsewhere / and salvation will arrive in an unexpected moment.”
I reflect. As a citizen and an educator, I bear significant responsibility.
I am a vulnerable person—flawed and lacking. You, too, are a vulnerable person.
But because we are vulnerable, we raise our voices together.
I want to seek wisdom with you—wisdom for humanity to coexist peacefully once again.
I want to speak with you about what it means to live rightly in the face of historical truth.
I want to create, together with you, a society where every individual has their rightful place as a citizen.
I want to rediscover, with you, ways to care for each other’s safety and lives.
I want to cultivate a culture with you where those who dedicate themselves to the community are respected.
I want to declare, with you, the right to think freely and express ourselves without hesitation.
I want to rebuild our universities with you as spaces of trust and learning.
I want to establish, with you, an ethic of taking responsibility for our choices and apologizing for our mistakes.
I want to find, with you, the bare minimum of fair rules we can all agree upon.
I want to rebuild, with you, a society where mutual trust is the foundation of shared rules.
I want to practice humility before the truth and live a life of honesty with you.
I want to refine, with you, respectful and trustworthy language.
Now, we will neither be consumed by reality nor turn a blind eye to it. We confront its contradictions and discuss what kind of life we want to create together.
We will no longer linger shamefully in ruins but strive to restore humanity in our lives.
And we will now raise our voices together to invent new words and realities.
Yoon Suk-yeol👹, who neglects the lives and safety of the people, conceals the truth with lies, and recklessly charges ahead with ignorance and irresponsibility, must step down immediately!🕯️
November 13, 2024.
🙏-Kyung Hee University and Kyung Hee Cyber University Professor-Researcher Current Affairs Declaration. (-266 people)
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