On the 2nd, the police deployed large-scale forces to Olympic Park under the pretext of a National Assembly investigative committee visit. [Photo=Yonhap News]

Despite the fact that the citizens calling for the restoration of suffrage and sovereignty at Olympic Park since the June 3rd rigged election are not merely protesters but agents of the liberal democracy protected by the Constitution, the police deployed a large force on the 2nd under the guise of an on-site inspection by the National Assembly investigative committee and engaged in physical repression. 

Furthermore, more than 170 participants in the struggle for sovereignty, including a woman in her 30s dubbed "Oldarc" who stood alone to block the entrance to the handball stadium on the 16th of last month, are currently under investigation for charges such as obstruction of official duties and business interference, with some cases already resulting in arrests and referrals to the prosecution. 

This is a blatant challenge to the constitutional institution and an act of subverting the constitutional order, given that the people are not subjects to be ruled, but the very masters of sovereignty. 

The preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, which declares the "upholding of the cause of the April 19 Democratic Revolution against injustice," affirms that it is the constitutional duty and right of the people to exercise their sovereignty against unjust power that destroys constitutional order. 

Article 1, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea states, "The sovereignty of the Republic of Korea shall reside in the people, and all state authority shall emanate from the people." This is the very reason for the existence of a free democratic republic and the supreme value that the state must uphold. 

The phrase "All state authority shall emanate from the people" is displayed prominently above the entrance of the main National Assembly building for all to see. (See photo)

The scene of the 'Pan-National Rally Against the Integration of Military Academies and Relocation of the KMA' held on the outdoor stairs in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul, at 11 a.m. on the 8th. The phrase "All state authority shall emanate from the people" can be seen on the main building. ⒸHanmi Ilbo

A 1997 Supreme Court en banc ruling (96Do3376) made it clear that when citizens, as sovereign holders, gather to defend the Constitution, that collective body must be protected as if it were a "constitutional institution." The court ruled at the time, "If such a gathering of the people is crushed by coercion, it constitutes a subversion of the constitutional order, just as if a constitutional institution had been crushed by coercion." 

We define the attempt at forced dispersal by public power against constitutional rights, as well as the suppression of constitutional assemblies, as an act of subverting the constitutional order that tramples upon the status of the sovereign as a constitutional institution and a flagrant violation of democratic values. To protect the rights of the sovereign and restore the values of liberal democracy, we demand and urge the following: 

First, the police authorities must realize that any physical suppression or attempt at forced dispersal of sovereign citizens within Olympic Park constitutes 'willful insurrection,' and must not even dream of deploying public force in the future. We urge that the person in charge who ordered the large-scale police deployment on July 2nd be prosecuted according to the law.

The duty of public power is not to block the voices of the people, but to protect the expression of the people's constitutional will. The government and the ruling party must face the fact that history has proven that any power which suppresses the people denies its own legitimacy.

Second, public authorities must acknowledge that 'the people are not subjects of rule but the masters of sovereignty,' cease obstructing the legitimate struggle of the sovereign for the restoration of sovereignty, and guarantee the freedom of speech and safety of the citizens so they may safely exercise their constitutional powers at Olympic Park.

Through the 5·18 rulings, we have come to realize the historical mission that "the people are the sovereign and a constitutional institution." Any act of suppressing citizens in their struggle for sovereignty while ignoring this solemn legal milestone cannot be justified under any circumstances.

The police and the judiciary must immediately stop on-site interventions and guarantee the human rights and freedom of expression of the sovereign. We urge the immediate release of the 170 individuals who have been investigated or arrested for activities related to reclaiming sovereignty. 

Third, the government and the ruling party must recognize the status of the people as a constitutional institution and respect Olympic Park as a constitutional space for the restoration of sovereignty and a space for the liberal democratization movement.

We urge the resignation of the top officials who bear total responsibility for the June 3rd rigged election. We urge the police authorities to acknowledge that the people are the source of state power, and to repent for and cease all actions that have shaken the foundations of South Korea's liberal democracy.

We send a stern warning to the police authorities who repress sovereign citizens who are merely raising their voices and fists to demand the restoration of their sovereignty. We will never stand by and watch any unjust orders or attempts at forced suppression. The collective will of the people and the military demands that the state's public power return to its natural duty of protecting the sovereign, who is the true master of the nation. 

July 13, 2026

Seobeokka KMA Save-the-Nation Comrades Association