Harim is heading to Gwanghwamun. He will stand on the stage of a rally urging the resignation of President Yoon Suk-yeol. On the 24th, Harim announced the performance on social media. “I decided to sing near Gwanghwamun. It’s to bring the warmth of song to those suffering in the cold on Christmas Eve,” he said.

He also shared his honest feelings, adding, “It’s also an excuse to express the anger I haven’t yet fully released.” The performance will be held at 7 p.m. that day at Exit 4 of Gyeongbokgung Station. Harim recalled the martial law situation, saying, “It felt like a burglar had suddenly raided the house in the middle of the night. People had to swing whatever they could grab in the darkness or throw on anything to wear and run out into the street.”

Harim remembered his uncle, a victim of May 18. “The incident reminded me of my family’s pain and reminded many others of brutal events from long ago,” he said.

The martial law situation was sheer terror for Harim. “It was like a failed announcement of indiscriminate murder,” he pointed out, “a voice that summoned monsters, like black magic calling forth evil spirits from a faraway world.” Below is the full text from Harim’s social media:

I’ve decided to sing near Gwanghwamun tomorrow evening. It’s to bring the warmth of song to those suffering in the cold on Christmas Eve. But to be honest, it’s also an excuse to express the anger I haven’t yet fully released.

Recalling that day, it felt like a burglar had suddenly raided the house in the middle of the night. People had to swing whatever they could grab in the darkness or throw on anything to wear and run out into the street.

After that incident, the news endlessly repeated without bringing anything new, while people poured plausible analyses onto social media. Some praised the wave of cheering sticks or the so-called K-protest culture. But I often thought of my uncle, a victim of May 18.

Some say comparing it to Gwangju is unreasonable. He might argue that his martial law didn’t kill anyone. But the incident reminded me of my family’s pain and reminded many others of brutal events from long ago.

It was like a failed announcement of indiscriminate murder. Words without substance creating a tangible fear. Like black magic calling forth evil spirits from a faraway world, it was a voice summoning monsters. I hope that before the monsters from that world fully reveal themselves, they burst and disappear in a flash, just like in the movies. I wish it would end that way.

<Photo Source=Harim’s Social Media>