The Preparatory Committee for the ‘Association of Liberal Writers’ held its launch ceremony on the afternoon of March 7th at a location in Seocho-dong, Seoul, and elected Professor Lee Dae-young as its representative and writer Jeong Kwang-je as its secretary-general.

The Preparatory Committee for the ‘Association of Liberal Writers’ was launched as an alternative to overcome the literary scene where specific ideological groups exert influence in literature and culture, pushing other voices to the periphery. 

The Preparatory Committee for the ‘Association of Liberal Writers’ held its launch ceremony on the afternoon of March 7th at a location in Seocho-dong, Seoul, and elected Professor Lee Dae-young as its representative and writer Jeong Kwang-je as its secretary-general. 

As advisors, △Lee Mun-yeol and △Bok Ge-il were nominated, followed by △Joo Dong-sik and △Choi Beom. For executive positions, △Jin Myeong-haeng was elected as Chairman of Academic Affairs, △Gil Do-hyeong as Chairman of Publications, △Kim Dae-ho as Chairman of External Cooperation, and △Maeng Se-hee as Chairman of the Future Committee. 

On the same day, the Association of Liberal Writers issued a statement, saying, "An imbalance has long existed in Korea's writing space," and cited writer Kim Gyu-na, who was recently reported and indicted on charges of violating the Special Act on the May 18th Democratic Uprising, as an example.

"The situation where legal sanctions are imposed on a writer's critical remarks is not a mere personal incident. This is a case that shows how easily freedom of expression and freedom of creation can be diminished. If writers cannot freely express their thoughts, the world of literature and knowledge cannot be alive and dynamic."

Novelist Kim Gyu-na [Photo by Reporter Lim Yo-hee]

Jeong Kwang-je (pen name Songsan), Secretary-General of the Association of Liberal Writers and a columnist for The Korea Times, explained the purpose of its establishment: "This group does not exist for the benefit of any particular political party or power. We have come together to uphold the principles of free creation, free criticism, and free discussion."

Furthermore, he declared that "The Association of Liberal Writers is another intellectual community that responds to the left-leaning writer's organizations that have long exerted influence in the Korean literary world."

According to the statement, "The world of literature and thought should not be a space where only one voice exists. Culture comes alive when diverse ideas coexist and compete. We will create a space where writers, researchers, journalists, and intellectuals gather on the principle of liberalism."

The significance of this establishment lies in the creation of an open community that includes not only writer members but also reader members. In addition, to discover new writers, they plan to establish a New Writer Award and a University Student Content Award in collaboration with The Korea Times, and launch the e-journal ‘Freedom of Creation and Criticism’ to broaden the scope of free writing.

The following is the full statement from the launch of the Preparatory Committee for the ‘Association of Liberal Writers’.

Statement on the Launch of the Preparatory Committee for the ‘Association of Liberal Writers’

An imbalance has long existed in Korea's writing space. A situation has continued where specific ideologies and groups exert influence in literature and culture, pushing other voices to the periphery. It is also undeniable that certain political standards have acted as an invisible barrier in areas where free creation and discussion should take place.

The recent incident involving writer Kim Gyu-na was a case that brought these issues to the forefront again. The situation where legal sanctions are imposed on a writer's critical remarks is not a mere personal incident. This is a case that shows how easily freedom of expression and freedom of creation can be diminished. If writers cannot freely express their thoughts, the world of literature and knowledge cannot be alive and dynamic.

In these circumstances, we are launching the Preparatory Committee for the ‘Association of Liberal Writers’. This group does not exist for the benefit of any particular political party or power. We have come together to uphold the principles of free creation, free criticism, and free discussion.

The ‘Association of Liberal Writers’ aims to create another intellectual community that responds to the left-leaning writer's organizations that have long exerted influence in the Korean literary world. The world of literature and thought should not be a space where only one voice exists. Culture comes alive when diverse ideas coexist and compete.

We will create a space where writers, researchers, journalists, and intellectuals gather on the principle of liberalism. We will build an open community that includes not only writer members but also reader members. To discover new writers, we will establish a New Writer Award and a University Student Content Award, and launch the e-journal ‘Freedom of Creation and Criticism’ to broaden the scope of free writing.

The ‘Association of Liberal Writers’ will serve as a bulwark to protect the freedom of writing. No power, no group can monopolize the world of creation. Freedom of thought and expression is the foundation of a democratic society, and when this weakens, culture and academia also shrink.

We look forward to the participation of citizens and readers who sympathize with this cause. The space for free writing cannot be maintained by the efforts of a few people alone. It can only be sustained when the fervent support and concrete assistance of ordinary citizens are gathered. We ask for your keen interest and participation in this initiative to protect the freedom of creation.

March 7, 2026

Preparatory Committee for the Association of Liberal Writers