The rally demanding Ahn Gyu-baek's resignation is held every Monday at 2 PM in front of the office of Ahn Gyu-baek, the Minister of National Defense, in Cheongnyangni, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. [Photo by Reporter Lim Yo-hee]

In order to protect this nation that is falling apart, patriotic conservative citizens are coming out onto the asphalt regardless of snow or rain to hold rallies and marches. 

While there are large weekend rallies with tens of thousands of participants, small gatherings of 5-6 people are also held daily, regardless of the day of the week. Even in remote locations that do not attract public attention, they quietly do their work. It is because of them that this nation can still be maintained. In that sense, they can be called the 'true patriots' who protect the Republic of Korea.

On the afternoon of the 6th, the "Mothers' Brigade of Korea" (Representative Joo Ok-soon) visited the office of Ahn Gyu-baek, the Minister of National Defense (and member of the National Assembly for Dongdaemun-gap, Democratic Party), in Cheongnyangni, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, to hold a rally demanding his resignation, stating that he "destroyed the ROK-US alliance and neglected national security." 

"Neglecting National Security Means Abandoning the Lives of the People"

At this seventh rally condemning Ahn Gyu-baek, Representative Joo Ok-soon began by saying, "National defense is not ideology, but reality, and judgments on security should be based on the lives of the people, not politics."

Joo Ok-soon (third from left), representative of the Mothers' Brigade of Korea. [Photo by Reporter Lim Yo-hee]

She further criticized Ahn Gyu-baek, a member of the Democratic Party and then a member of the National Defense Committee, for revealing sensitive information related to ROK-US combined exercises on his Facebook in September 2022, stating, "The ROK-US alliance is the core pillar of South Korea's security in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, providing a solid deterrent."

Despite the fact that the exercise was an anti-submarine warfare drill in response to North Korea's submarine threat, requiring a significant level of security, Ahn Gyu-baek caused controversy by disclosing the specific date and location, saying, "On September 30, the navies of South Korea, the United States, and Japan will conduct a combined exercise in the East Sea."

Representative Joo Ok-soon then pointed out, "Dialogue with North Korea is necessary, but dialogue cannot replace strength, and if deterrence weakens, dialogue becomes meaningless."

She also emphasized, "South Korea's security policy should always be based on deterring and judging based on the military reality of our enemy, the North Korean regime of Kim Jong Un. National defense is deterrence, not politics, and security is responsibility, not an experiment."

Representative Joo stated, "The Lee Jae-myung administration's attempt to destroy the ROK-US alliance is equivalent to abandoning the safety of the people. If we continue to stand by, all 50 million citizens of the Republic of Korea, except for Juche followers, will be placed in a security blind spot. That is why we are holding rallies to urge Ahn Gyu-baek to strengthen the ROK-US alliance." 

Patriotic Citizens Illuminate the Security Blind Spot 

Nam Ki-baek, who participated in the rally, asked the police officers at the scene, "I know you are working hard to protect the Republic of Korea. But why are you letting real criminals, who have been convicted by the Supreme Court, go free?"

He also looked up at Ahn Gyu-baek's office and questioned, "There can be circumstances where one cannot serve active duty. But does it make sense for someone responsible for national defense to be a former conscript?"

He further argued, "North Korea's short-range ballistic missiles can reach as far as Busan. This means that the entire South Korea is under the threat of North Korea's nuclear missiles. If Minister Ahn knows this fact, he should resign rather than continue to destroy the ROK-US alliance."

In addition to the rally participants, there are others who are working hard. These are the small and medium-sized YouTubers who inform people of their activities through YouTube videos.

'Pyeongmin TV,' although a small broadcast with only 1,600 subscribers, accompanies the Mothers' Brigade wherever they go, broadcasting live events such as the rally condemning Ahn Gyu-baek in Cheongnyangni, Seoul (every Monday at 2 PM), the rally to protect Coupang in Songpa-gu, Seoul (every Tuesday at 2 PM), and the rally to expel Han Dong-hoon from politics (every Friday at 2 PM).

The idiom "露積成海" (Lu Ji Cheng Hai) means that dew drops (露) accumulate (積) to form a sea (海), signifying that small things gather to create something large.

Just as a single brick or a small screw comes together to complete a massive building or bridge, the small acts of patriotism performed in unseen places, like those by Representative Joo Ok-soon, will gather to save this nation.

Reporter Lim Yo-hee