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Yoon Suk-yeol, former president, greets supporters as he departs the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, Seoul, on April 11. / Photo by Song Ui-joo

Three major religious organizations in South Korea — representing Buddhism, Catholicism, and Protestantism — declared their refusal to accept the Constitutional Court’s recent ruling that removed former President Yoon Suk-yeol from office, calling it “a declaration of death for democracy” and launching what they called a religious and civic resistance movement.

The Seoul Church Association, the National Buddhist Patriotic Order, and the Catholic Alliance to Defend Korea held a joint press conference at the National Assembly on April 9, declaring that they were united in opposition to what they labeled an unconstitutional decision. “As citizens of the Republic of Korea, we reject the unjust ruling of the Constitutional Court and take this solemn first step to restore democracy,” they stated.

The groups voiced support for the ongoing “Yoon Suk-yeol Again” youth movement and emphasized that defending Yoon was equivalent to defending the rights of the Korean people. They urged religious communities and civil society to rally together in mass protests at Gwanghwamun Square, calling it an exercise of the people's right to resist.

Rev. Park Won-young, an executive committee member of the Seoul Church Association, condemned the court’s unanimous April 4 decision to remove Yoon, stating, “This is proof that the Constitutional Court has been captured by power and has trampled on the sovereignty of the people. We declare that Yoon Suk-yeol remains the president chosen by the people.”

He added, “By refusing to accept the court’s impeachment ruling, we affirm that President Yoon remains the legitimate leader of this nation. Buddhists, Catholics, and Christians will stand united to defend him.”

The coalition vowed to join the youth-led “Yoon Again” movement and condemned former ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, and Constitutional Court Justice Chung Hyung-sik, accusing them of betrayal and collaboration with the political left. The groups also called for the dissolution of the National Election Commission, which they labeled as complicit in alleged election fraud.

Monk Seong-ho emphasized the principle of “No country, no self,” a core tenet of patriotic Buddhism. “As a monk, I cannot accept the impeachment and will resist it with a clear conscience,” he said. Citing poet Han Yong-un’s Silence of My Beloved, he described the impeachment as a betrayal of the nation and vowed to resist “this injustice to the end.”

Another monk, Eung-cheon, accused all nine Constitutional Court justices of committing a “grave constitutional crime” by denying the Republic’s identity. “This ruling, disguised as legal, is a treasonous act that transferred power to anti-state forces,” he claimed, asserting that Yoon had invoked emergency powers guaranteed by the Constitution in defense of the nation. He called for the rejection of early elections, the dismantling of the Constitutional Court and National Election Commission, and even the dissolution of the National Assembly.

Father Park Sang-hoon urged continued struggle, saying, “Although the impeachment decision was disheartening, now is not the time for despair. The current power structure, dominated by the leftist cartel, is anti-state and must be corrected.” He concluded, “We must fight until liberal democracy prevails.”