Korean Students at UT Call for President’s Impeachment Back Home

By Shunya Carroll

Reporting Texas

Soo-Hee Kang has traveled 7,000 miles to media at the University of Texas school of radio, television and film. The distance made Kang feel hopeless when the president of South Korea placed her country under martial law. 

“After the martial law ended,” Kang said, “I became very angry and felt like I had to do something — even from far away.” 

Kang, a second year M.A. media studies student says she stands with fellow South Korean protesters and echoes their chants from thousands of miles away: “Yoon Suk Yeol –  resign.”

Kang couldn’t march with her fellow Koreans who demanded his resignation, so she added her signature to a statement written by Overseas Solidarity, San Francisco Sympathy and Spring Global Citizens’ Solidarity calling for his resignation. 

“I no longer think he should just resign, but be arrested and tried,” Kang said.

Kang called her friends and family, worried about their safety and asked them to keep their heads down when President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law. South Korea’s history of martial law has resulted in violence and tragedy. 

The National Assembly voted against Yoon’s declaration within a few hours and withdrew military forces early the next morning. Kang said many Koreans stayed awake all night out of fear. When a vote for impeachment failed, Yoon’s People Power Party chairman announced the president’s intention to step down, but didn’t clarify when. 

A new impeachment motion is expected this week while Yoon is banned from international travel. 

“Koreans are still actively organizing,” Kang said. “Korean people abroad, especially international students, are still connected (to our country). My friends realize that this is an important moment.” 

University of Texas physics graduate student KP Lee shared Kang’s sentiment, “I think it was absurd and ridiculous,” he said.

His mother living in Korea was anxious and mad at the president’s action, Lee said. An action like this brings back memories of violence.

“I want him impeached as soon as possible,” he said. “Considering the political context of his situation, it was not really a surprise. He was in a corner in a political context. He lost almost every ally.” 

In invoking martial law, Yoon had complained that 22 impeachment motions were filed against his administration officials since he took office in May 2022.

“People were unsatisfied with his government, but this was the last straw,” Kang said. 

Koreans continue to gather outside of the Korean National Assembly demanding Yoon to be impeached, tried and arrested. 

Texas Global at the University of Texas sent an email to the 572 Korean international students on campus and 89 students studying abroad in Korea last week, providing on-campus resources and contact information for additional support. 

“(Koreans) know how scary martial law can be,” said Kang. “People really wanted to stop tragedies like this happening again… Yoon Suk Yeol –  resign.”