Citizens in Jamsil calling for a "re-election due to fraudulent elections." ⒸHMI Ilbo

In his founding commemorative address on August 15, 1948, proclaiming the establishment of the Republic of Korea, President Syngman Rhee declared:

"From now on, all ordinary citizens shall have the right to vote and participate in politics equally."

This declaration was not mere political rhetoric. It was the foundational principle of the Republic of Korea, stating what kind of nation it would be. The Republic of Korea was founded as a nation where each and every citizen possesses equal voting rights and the right to participate in politics. Power originates from the people, and the people shape state power through voting. This is the starting point of the Republic of Korea and the basis of its constitutional order.

Therefore, the principle of one person, one vote, and the people's right to participate in politics are the foundation of the constitutional order, superseding any administrative convenience or procedural interpretation. Electoral management bodies, judicial bodies, administrative bodies, and all election-related laws exist to realize this principle. State institutions and laws are mechanisms to guarantee the people's right to vote and participate in politics, not to restrict or negate them.

However, the June 3rd incident is an event that directly negated this founding principle. If the substance of the right to vote and participate in politics, which each citizen should exercise equally, has been compromised, it goes beyond a mere electoral management flaw or procedural controversy. It signifies the destruction of the fundamental promise of the political community that the Republic of Korea declared to its people from its inception.

State institutions cannot negate the founding principle under the guise of legal interpretation. Whether it is an electoral management body, an administrative body, or a judicial body, their authority is granted to guarantee the people's right to participate in politics. Therefore, state officials do not have the authority to obstruct the realization of a clearly proclaimed founding principle by prioritizing their interpretation of election-related laws.

Legal provisions can change over time. Officials in state institutions also change over time. However, the founding principle of the Republic of Korea endures eternally with the nation. The principle that people vote equally, participate in politics equally, and form state power through the results is the foundation of the constitutional order that cannot be violated by the convenient interpretation or temporary decision of any institution.

The founding principle is the basis that makes the people who they are. If the people's right to vote and participate in politics is not fully guaranteed, popular sovereignty will be reduced to a mere formality. An election that leaves popular sovereignty as a mere formality can no longer be considered an election that genuinely reflects the will of the people.

The Progressive Lawyers Association declares: The June 3rd incident is a significant damage to the founding principle of the Republic of Korea. The people cannot condone an election that destroys the founding principle. State institutions must respond responsibly to the principles upon which the Republic of Korea was founded, rather than hiding behind procedures and formalities.

The path to fully restore the people's right to vote and participate in politics is clear: It is to adhere to the founding principle. Elections must be re-held in a manner that respects each citizen's vote equally and guarantees the people's right to participate in politics in substance.

Therefore, the Progressive Lawyers Association strongly demands:

First, state institutions must acknowledge that the June 3rd incident is a grave matter that has damaged the founding principle of the Republic of Korea.

Second, do not obstruct the restoration of the people's right to vote and participate in politics by prioritizing a formal interpretation of election-related laws.

Third, immediately conduct a general re-election to restore popular sovereignty and the founding principle of one person, one vote.

The Republic of Korea is a nation built upon the right to vote and participate in politics of one person, one vote. If that foundation collapses, the constitutional order of the Republic of Korea cannot stand. What is needed now is not excuses, delays, or procedural evasions, but an honest response to the founding principle.

Conduct a general re-election immediately!

June 13, 2026

Progressive Lawyers Association