"It has been a month since the June 3 Democratic Uprising began at Olympic Park in Jamsil. In the future, the Olympic Park Station on Line 9 must become so crowded with throngs of people that trains should be forced to pass through without stopping throughout operating hours." ⒸHanmi Ilbo

It has been a month since the June 3 Democratic Uprising began at Olympic Park in Jamsil. Every time I visit the rally site at the park, I am overwhelmed with emotion.

Last Saturday, the 27th, I met an elderly woman at the Olympic Park rally site who had a trash bag tied to her mobility walker, picking up small pieces of litter discarded by others. When I went to throw away a paper cup I had used to eat shaved ice provided by volunteers, the woman, who appeared to be in her eighties, asked me to give it to her instead.

“This is the only thing I can do to help.”

I said to her, “Ma'am, it must be tiring for you; why don't you just sit in the shade and cheer on the young people?”

The woman replied, “These young people are working so hard in the sweltering heat to set the country straight; shouldn't this old woman also do her part? No matter how I think about it, this is the only thing I can do to help.”

While the young people struggling out there are truly inspiring, it was a day that left me deeply moved—and with a heavy heart—after seeing that octogenarian grandmother.

Although the fervor at Olympic Park is growing increasingly intense, the political establishment’s efforts to uncover the truth and the attitude of the National Election Commission (NEC) seem to be focused solely on just trying to weather this crisis.

The "12-Week Consecutive Seminar on Dissecting Election Fraud" concluded its long journey on June 26th at the Praise Center near Seoul National University of Education station.

Professor Emeritus Huh Byung-ki of Inha University, author of "Secret Order 2-Alpha," which mathematically and statistically proved the reality of the April 15, 2020 election fraud, and Professor Emeritus Do Kyung-gu of Hanyang University, a co-author of "Anatomy of Election Fraud" which proved the law of large numbers regarding the results of the April 10, 2024 general election, presented analysis on how the June 3 local and education superintendent elections were manipulated during the final session.

According to their analysis, the winners and losers were reversed in 8 regions for the mayoral/provincial governor elections (Busan, Incheon, Daejeon, Ulsan, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, North Chungcheong, and South Chungcheong) and in 6 regions for the education superintendent elections (Seoul, Incheon, Ulsan, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, and South Chungcheong). They stated that the data would be released on YouTube as soon as it is edited.

The NEC's failure to sue scholars

From the perspective of the NEC, which claims the allegations of "flawed elections" are false, it is incomprehensible why they have not sued the scholars who are severely damaging their credibility. If they are so confident, shouldn't they challenge whether these scholars are misleading the public with faulty analysis? Why is the NEC trying to pretend none of this is happening?

There is another strange matter. On February 27, VON representative Kim Mi-young appeared on the Pen&Mike YouTube program "Jeon Han-gil vs. Lee Jun-seok Final Debate" and publicly named five key figures behind the election fraud. These five are: △Yoon Ho-jung, Minister of the Interior and Safety; △Cho Hae-ju, former standing commissioner of the NEC; △Ko Han-seok, former chief of staff to Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon; △Yang Jung-chul, former director of the Institute for Democracy; and △the late Lee Hae-chan, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Shouldn't the individuals identified as the masterminds of the election fraud sue Representative Kim Mi-young, if only to clear their own names? Shouldn't the late Representative Lee Hae-chan’s family also file a lawsuit for defamation of the deceased to clear his name?

Yet, both the individuals and the bereaved families remain silent. Especially in the case of the incumbent Minister of the Interior and Safety, Yoon Ho-jung, shouldn't he be ordering an immediate investigation by the police he oversees if such things never happened? If it were me, I wouldn't just let it slide out of sheer indignation.

It is impossible not to conclude that these five people have committed something massive and are now living in constant anxiety. No matter how long it takes, we must uncover what they have done by any means necessary.

We must drop everything and show up

Heatwaves and monsoon rains lie ahead. If they think they can just wait for the passion at Olympic Park to cool down and try to dodge the storm, they are making a huge mistake.

The June 3 Democratic Uprising, now entering its second month, is a struggle that the citizens who believe in it cannot back down from. If we miss this opportunity, we will be forced to accept whatever winners and losers the NEC dictates, allowing the forces currently benefiting from the election system to hold permanent power.

As we mark one month of the June 3 Uprising, what must we do? Although throngs of people are gathering from all over to fill the park area, we need even more. We are still hungry for justice.

Looking at the current situation, it is highly unlikely that Lee Jae-myung will step down easily. To force his resignation, dismantle the NEC, and hold a re-election with "same-day voting and manual counting," the Olympic Park Station on Line 9 must become so crowded with throngs of people that trains are forced to pass through without stopping throughout operating hours.

I appeal to those citizens who have never once visited the June 3 Democratic Uprising site at Olympic Park: please drop everything and come join us at the site at least once. Shouldn't we reclaim our lost voting rights?

Young people are struggling desperately to ensure that the world they live in guarantees voting rights and features a transparent voting and counting system that anyone can accept regardless of the outcome, creating a fair society. Can we afford to turn a blind eye to this?

I hope that we all take to heart that this is our last chance to defend democracy and take action.

◆ Dr. Kim Jae-soo

Doctor of Information Science. Former Headquarters Director at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. Former adjunct professor at Kyonggi University. 5th and 6th Chairman of the Republic of Korea ROTC Patriotic Comrades Association. Currently Chairman of the Kookmin Foundation Light.