Seoul, SOUTH KOREA – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shocked the nation – and much of the world – when he suddenly declared martial law on Tuesday.
In the December 3 statement from his office just before 10:30 p.m., Yoon declared that emergency martial law had been set into place. The reason behind such radical action, he said, was to “eliminate anti-state forces,” targeting the opposing party.
As I watched events unfold in real time, my first thoughts were that some kind of issue with North Korea was the reason for martial law. It seemed serious and worrisome.
But then I realized that the president was taking this action because of his unstable political position, not because of any outside threat.
This astonishing event – even the president’s closest advisors and the ruling party leader didn’t have a clue what Yoon planned to do – is a first in 45 years. The last martial law was enacted before South Korea was a democracy. At the time, Park Jung Hee, an Army officer who held the presidency, was in office ruling the country as a dictatorship.
As soon as the news spread, things happened really fast.
Outraged civilians made their way to the Parliament while armed troops rushed over in helicopters to safeguard the government building.
Tanks began to roam the peaceful streets of Seoul, and the Parliament experienced utter chaos.
Civilians outside the building tangled with troops that were attempting to make their way inside.
Parliament officials barricaded the building with tables and chairs stacked on top of each other. Fire extinguishers were sprayed mid-air, and soldiers began to break windows in order to get inside.
Lawmakers also made their way to the Parliament, hoping to hold a National Assembly vote to undo the martial law. Leader of the opposition party, Lee Jae Myung, live streamed on YouTube from his car heading towards Parliament, urging civilians to assemble in front of the Parliament as he jumped over the walls to make his way inside.
When 190 out of 300 members of the National Assembly gathered, a vote was called and the martial law was nullified by unanimous vote.
The Constitution states that the president must lift martial law when an agreement is reached by the National Assembly, and despite ongoing fear that Yoon may go against the Constitution and repeat his irresponsible actions, he reversed the martial law and troops were sent back to their units.
Many South Korean citizens were astounded by the news. In the minds of Koreans, emergency martial law has always been associated with dictatorship and lack of democracy because of its presence and ramifications in the past.
People who experienced full martial law in Korea’s past were surprised to see the same practice – with all the restrictions of censoring the press and limiting gatherings – take place again.
Korea was backstepping into its violent past, and if people didn’t know or understand what was happening, the news reporting made it very clear that this was something to worry about.
Many were simply in shock that a national event emphasized as taking place “in the most dire situations” in history books was happening in front of their eyes. Because martial law often restricted schools from opening, a majority of students were secretly hoping that school would be cancelled, which was indeed the outcome for some schools across Korea.
Despite the initial surprise, most South Koreans were able to return to their daily lives in the morning, although many lacked sleep following the nighttime chaos.
People who were able to look past the horror realized that the six hours of martial law was bound to have both short and long term effects on their daily lives.
Politics seems to be majorly disrupted, as the opposition party is preparing to impeach the president once again, this time with an additional reason to do so. This time, the reason is serious enough that he could lose his office for what people are calling a military rebellion against the country.
Civilians who were unaware of the relatively unserious reality were quick to stock up on essentials, which saw water and canned food sales at convenience stores skyrocket by four times. The Korean currency even fell to a staggering 1440 won per dollar, and the market is experiencing large fluctuations as a result.
This event, which seemed straight out of the history books, will be another chapter that is sure to leave a lasting mark in Korea’s timeline.
As a nation with a bedrock of democracy, Korea was subject Tuesday to a major threat. A sudden implementation of martial law wiped away many freedoms that supported Korea’s way of living that was once secured for more than 40 years.
Looking into the future, Korea must never take democracy and its values for granted, as moments like these are bound to strike when the country is most vulnerable.
Politics has severely divided the nation, deterring Koreans from pursuing the core values that bind the country together.
In the meantime, Yoon’s position as the nation’s leader proves to be more unstable than ever as his approval rating is plummeting.
I hope this incident will act as a reminder that the freedoms we benefit from today are owing to the sufferings of past generations who courageously fought to protect democracy, and that their mission is one that will require consistent collaborative effort from all of us.
Damian Nam is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
