Nationwide martial law, military deployment, parliament turning against the government, citizens taking to the streets... 10 key questions about South Korea's overnight transformation

Author: Niu Tanqin

Who would have thought that South Korea would change overnight, President Yoon Suk-yeol has flipped the table.

Late at night on December 3, he suddenly announced a state of emergency martial law in South Korea.

Some friends asked: What does martial law mean?

It is a matter of great importance that involves the foundation of the nation. It means using knives and guns, arresting and killing people. It should be noted that the last time South Korea declared martial law was over 40 years ago.

Subsequently, the South Korean military took to the streets, citizens of Seoul protested, and countries around the world were shocked. But in the early hours of the morning, news came from the South Korean National Assembly that the martial law order was overturned by the National Assembly.

Everything was thrilling, and South Korea had a sleepless night.

This is purely a personal opinion, here are 10 key questions.

Question 1: What was the trigger?

Yoon Suk-yeol accused that the emergency martial law was a "last resort" for the sustainability of the Republic of Korea, aiming to eliminate "Northern forces" and to maintain "freedom and constitutional order."

In other words, the opposition party was aggressive, and he, as president, could no longer continue; it was time for a decisive battle!

But aside from these words, an undeniable factor is that Yoon Suk-yeol was enraged for the sake of his beloved.

The trigger was the bribery case involving his wife, Kim Keon-hee. Kim Keon-hee received a Dior bag, and the opposition party seized on this, not ruling out the possibility that Kim Keon-hee could end up in prison. Yoon Suk-yeol could no longer tolerate it and directly announced martial law.

"For the woman I love, I declare war against the whole world!"

Don't think that such themes only play out in novels and on screens.

Question 2: How does South Korea implement martial law?

South Korean Army General Park An-soo was appointed as the commander of the martial law. The martial law command quickly issued the first order: martial law would take effect from 11 PM local time on the 3rd (10 PM Beijing time).

The first article of the martial law order: Prohibit the activities of the National Assembly and local councils, as well as political party activities, political associations, gatherings, demonstrations, and all political activities.

What is this?

It is actually akin to a coup.

Only this time, the president personally initiated the coup, which is truly astonishing.

More crucially, on one side is the president and military leaders, while on the other side are the opposition and ruling parties.

If even the ruling party does not stand by the president, the situation becomes uncontrollable.

Question 3: How do the South Korean people view this?

Shock, shock, and more shock.

The internal struggles in South Korea are intense, and the whole world knows it, but the fact that the supreme leader declared a state of emergency martial law is still hard to comprehend.

The leader of the opposition party, Lee Jae-myung, stated during a live broadcast: "The martial law order is not to defend the constitution, but a fatal blow to democracy."

A large number of citizens disregarded the martial law order, braving the cold to protest and prevent the military from entering the National Assembly.

Question 4: What about the South Korean military?

Under normal circumstances of martial law, the military would definitely be deployed, armed to the teeth, and even gunfire would erupt.

But in South Korea, the military was quite clever during the martial law.

Military orders had to be executed, so special forces were deployed; however, any excessive enforcement could lead to bloodshed, which would definitely be accounted for later.

Thus, we see that while Yoon Suk-yeol was anxious, the military was quite relaxed, in fact, they were letting things slide, and a large number of lawmakers still stormed into the National Assembly, with opposition leader Lee Jae-myung casually climbing over the wall to enter the National Assembly while live streaming.

Very dramatic.

Question 5: How do the U.S. and the world view this?

The U.S. stance is crucial.

The U.S. stated that it is "closely monitoring the situation." U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Campbell further commented: "We are hopeful and expect any political disputes to be resolved peacefully according to the rule of law."

Looking at the international reaction, it was almost overwhelmingly one of shock, condemnation, or calls for restraint and dialogue to resolve the issue.

This overwhelming sentiment has intensified the isolation of Yoon Suk-yeol's government.

Question 6: What did the South Korean National Assembly do?

The National Assembly is a key force in South Korean politics.

Despite the obstruction, 190 lawmakers successfully entered the National Assembly, surpassing the required majority, and the voting result was 190:0 to revoke the martial law order.

The opposition and ruling parties, who had previously fought fiercely, put aside their differences at this moment, shook hands, and unanimously agreed that Yoon Suk-yeol's martial law order was invalid.

Abandoned by all, Yoon Suk-yeol completely lost.

In the early hours of the 4th, he had no choice but to announce the withdrawal of martial law troops and the revocation of the martial law order.

Question 7: Were there any signs beforehand?

Actually, there were some.

As early as September this year, the opposition party disclosed that Yoon Suk-yeol was very likely to declare martial law.

But this was considered completely absurd; at that time, the Chosun Ilbo commented that anyone with a bit of common sense would think this was nonsense. If the government declared martial law, no one in the military would obey, and the government would almost certainly collapse simultaneously. Which government would engage in such self-destructive behavior?

Sorry, but the president of South Korea would.

Question 8: What will happen to Yoon Suk-yeol?

Now is his most dangerous moment. He can either resign voluntarily and bow out; be impeached and ousted from the presidential office; or follow in the footsteps of Roh Moo-hyun, closing his eyes to bid farewell to life.

As long as he is alive, things are not over. In the end, he will definitely end up in prison.

All the previous scandals will now be thoroughly investigated; the current emergency martial law will also be fully accounted for.

Before becoming president, as the prosecutor, Yoon Suk-yeol investigated others; now, new prosecutors are investigating him, and moreover, his entire family.

The price of impulsiveness.

Question 9: What about the "Blue House curse"?

The whole world knows that the most dangerous profession in South Korea is being the president.

In any case, among all the past South Korean presidents, except for Moon Jae-in, no president has had a good ending. Some have gone to prison, some have gone into exile, and some have committed suicide, which is referred to as the "Blue House curse" by outsiders.

Therefore, after taking office as the president of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol resolutely refused to live in the Blue House, forcibly taking over the former Ministry of National Defense to turn it into the presidential office.

The Blue House has changed, but the curse has not been broken.

Moreover, Yoon Suk-yeol's ending may be even worse. Alas, had I known this would happen, why become the president of South Korea!

Question 10: What will happen to China-South Korea relations?

This is an internal affair of South Korea, which will not have much impact on China-South Korea relations; we can just watch the drama unfold.

However, since Yoon Suk-yeol took office, he has been tough on the North, flattering Japan, and following the U.S. closely, causing the previously good China-South Korea relations to plummet.

Who would have thought that in the end, he would end up like this after all the maneuvering.

You see him building high towers, you see him hosting guests, you see his tower collapse.

People are doing, and heaven is watching!

Finally, a few words of reflection: this was a historic night for South Korea. We witnessed rage for the sake of love, saw live streaming while climbing over the wall into the National Assembly, observed both sides of the aisle opposing the president, and witnessed the helpless fall of flowers. We should also expect to see the supreme leader in shackles entering prison…

From the president issuing the martial law order to the order being revoked by the National Assembly, it took less than three hours.

But the fates of many people have been completely changed since then.

No wonder Korean dramas are so exciting; because the reality in South Korea is even more thrilling!

Yoon Suk-yeol, oh Yoon Suk-yeol.