The Korean people have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for foiling the martial law attempt of Dec. 3, 2024. Shown is a candlelight vigil on Dec. 6, 2024, near National Assembly Station in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo-gu District demanding the impeachment of then President Yoon Suk Yeol. (Yonhap News)

By Xu Aiying

The Korean people have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for foiling the martial law attempt of Dec. 3, 2024.

Domestic media on Feb. 19 said political scientists including the former and current presidents of the International Political Science Association (IPSA) recommended the country's "citizen collective" last month as a candidate to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

The four figures who made the recommendation included Seoul National University professor Kim Eui-young, who headed the organizing committee for last year's IPSA World Congress of Political Science in Seoul. They reportedly dubbed the people's efforts to thwart the attempt at martial law as the "Revolution of Light" and a global example of overcoming a constitutional crisis through nonviolent civic participation without civil war or oppression.

President Lee Jae Myung wrote on his X account after hearing this news, "This was possible because the Republic of Korea is the nation of the great Korean people and an exemplar for human history."

"The Republic of Korea does it!"

Launched in 1949 under the auspices of UNESCO, IPSA is a global academic organization that holds a general assembly every two years. In July last year, President Lee gave the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the IPSA congress in Seoul.

In an address to the nation on Dec. 3, 2025, to mark the first anniversary of the Revolution of Light, President Lee said, "I firmly believe that the citizens of the Republic of Korea are truly deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize."

"If the Republic of Korea receives the Nobel Peace Prize for its contributions to saving democracy, restoring peace and showing the greatness of democracy to the world, it will be a major turning point for all countries shaken by conflict and division."

xuaiy@korea.kr