South Korea's President Yoon declares martial law
December 3, 2024 9:30 AM   Subscribe

"Maintenance of martial law until the president lifts martial law"...We've seen armored vehicles in the city center. As the National Assembly said, the request for the lifting of the emergency martial law has been approved, but the martial law history is still maintained. It is said that martial law history will be maintained until a separate order from the president is given. It's still urgent inside and outside the government building. Police and military personnel are controlling around the entrance.

South Korea parliament rejects president's martial law declaration: The speaker of parliament declared the martial law announcement invalid and lawmakers early on Wednesday voted to reject it.
Yoon's move, which he cast as aimed at his political foes, was vocally opposed even by the leader of his own party, Han Dong-hoon, who was present for the vote in parliament and who has clashed with Yoon over the president's handling of recent scandals.

South Korean president declares martial law: Just past 1 a.m. local time in Seoul, after lawmakers unanimously voted to block the president’s martial law decree, dozens of troops that had entered the main parliamentary building began to withdraw, according to Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo.

Local television stations also showed troops withdrawing from the building.

Some forces are still waiting within the National Assembly grounds, though some appear to have set down their gear, Chosun Ilbo reported.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared “emergency martial law” Tuesday evening in frustration with the opposition-dominated parliament he claimed was paralyzing the government. It is the first time in more than four decades that martial law has been declared in the country, and the decree prohibits all political activities, rallies and demonstrations, and subjects all media to martial law control. Parliament convened a plenary session in response and promptly voted down the decree. However, South Korean military officials said the law will remain in place until the president lifts it, according to local media outlet YTN.

And sarah jeong over on Bluesky: I'm at the National Assembly building. The army is here. And I just saw two soldiers in fatigues getting pushed around by belligerent ajusshis. and they looked legit scared. . . . I am, incidentally, pretty drunk rn (the job is 24/7!!!). This is the most Korean thing I've ever done.
posted by Carillon (96 comments total) 33 users marked this as a favorite
 
Here's an AP summary of this foolishness. Yoon just looks like an idiot now. Even more of one.
posted by seanmpuckett at 9:33 AM on December 3, 2024 [6 favorites]


The army has apparently since left the National Assembly building. So far, Yoon's unhinged power grab seems to be fizzling.
posted by tclark at 9:38 AM on December 3, 2024 [9 favorites]


Coup attempt came and went in less than 2 hours (well, pending the president's next move. Otherwise impeachment is on the table). Crazy what happens when politicians actually care enough about institutions, with civilians doing things like literally boosting people over the closed gates so the politicians can make it to session.

Or from another angle, if you want to coup, get the party buy-in first, if you're not a general.
posted by cendawanita at 9:38 AM on December 3, 2024 [13 favorites]


I found this Bluesky feed from Korean author Anton Hur to be very informative. Pretty incredible descriptions of the military breaking into the National Assembly, and being fought off by NA aides.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 9:39 AM on December 3, 2024 [12 favorites]


I'm looking forward to everyone on the internet morphing into a subject-matter expert on South Korean politics in the next few hours.
posted by june_dodecahedron at 9:39 AM on December 3, 2024 [50 favorites]


I'll be echoing another MeFite on BlueSky's call for continuing information that doesn't try to shoehorn in American politics from the jump. (Not saying what is posted here does; I would rather hear further coverage from outlets that don't insist on making it about the US in some convoluted way.)
posted by Kitteh at 9:43 AM on December 3, 2024 [12 favorites]


A telling description of Yoon from a fellow non-Korea-expert: "a real dipshit, like Korean Ron DeSantis."
posted by Pedantzilla at 9:47 AM on December 3, 2024 [10 favorites]


Kitteh, when looking for links there was a huge amount of "and this is what this says for the US stock market" or "US and Korea trade very important". So I did try to limit that as much as I could when picking links, though updating in real time so might have that sneak in.
posted by Carillon at 9:52 AM on December 3, 2024 [8 favorites]


W in T actual F
posted by gwint at 9:53 AM on December 3, 2024 [4 favorites]


I bet nobody told this person she was getting up today to wrestle with an assault rifle pointed at her heart, but evidently she was ready. Amazing.
posted by Wobbuffet at 9:54 AM on December 3, 2024 [45 favorites]


No, no, Carillon, you're fine, I was just talking about additional coverage.
posted by Kitteh at 9:56 AM on December 3, 2024 [3 favorites]


Twitter still remains decent for this sort of thing for me (non-Western views).

I bet nobody told this person

That would be journalist-turned-politician Ahn Gwi Ryeong.
posted by cendawanita at 9:58 AM on December 3, 2024 [29 favorites]



I'm looking forward to everyone on the internet morphing into a subject-matter expert on South Korean politics in the next few hours.

I’ve been studying Korean on Duolingo for some time, let me break this all down for you…
posted by misterpatrick at 10:01 AM on December 3, 2024 [29 favorites]


That would be journalist-turned-politician Ahn Gwi Ryeong.

Holy heck, that's real bravery.
posted by 1adam12 at 10:03 AM on December 3, 2024 [6 favorites]


Appreciate that! Was just reinforcing your messaging, there's a lot out there that does exactly what you are talking about.
posted by Carillon at 10:04 AM on December 3, 2024 [1 favorite]


From Pinboard:

“It has got to suck having your failed coup roasted on Twitter

…Too Yoon”
posted by lalochezia at 10:05 AM on December 3, 2024 [7 favorites]


I enjoyed Sarah Jeong's (Korean American) thread on BlueSky from on the site, with pictures
someone has scaled the fence. honestly I feel like this fence situation is peak korean. like it's just a bunch of deeply enraged people with poker faces not doing anything to breach the fence (would be too unlawful) and every now and then you hear an ajussi swearing in dialect
posted by foxfirefey at 10:10 AM on December 3, 2024 [13 favorites]


failed attempt at self-coup speedrun any% - new record holder, yoon suk-yeol

the entire attempt at proclaiming martial law was shorter than any single one of the lotr movies, i believe.
posted by i used to be someone else at 10:30 AM on December 3, 2024 [10 favorites]


South Korea Is Fighting for Democracy Again—And the World Needs to Know by Heesoo Jang, via BlueSky.

The vibe I’m getting is that there are lots and lots of people in the ROK who remember the previous coup—and they’re PISSED.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 10:31 AM on December 3, 2024 [13 favorites]


It's kind of disconcerting how glib people are being about this because it's not a rousing tale of democracy triumphing, it's an example of what happens when you attempt a coup without military buy-in. If they were really committed the guys with guns and explosives are getting into the National Assembly no matter what and any votes the Assembly takes don't mean shit without them voluntarily stepping down.
posted by star gentle uterus at 10:33 AM on December 3, 2024 [6 favorites]


TWZ is also covering it. Posted without comment, just offering another secondary source.
posted by ZakDaddy at 10:43 AM on December 3, 2024


I guess it would be also good to share something I saw around a month ago, which was a thread about the history of Korea and mass protest and authoritarian dictatorship, which I hadn't known much about before:
part of what got south korea out under the thumb of authoritarian dictatorships and to real elections (1987) and free and fair ones (1992) were large, mass protests and demonstrations.

which is such an anodyne way of describing what happened. it makes it sound bloodless.

it wasn't.
posted by foxfirefey at 10:48 AM on December 3, 2024 [22 favorites]


It seems like it's not over? WaPo currently leading with "South Korean military says martial law will remain in place despite parliament’s vote to reject it."
posted by HeroZero at 11:02 AM on December 3, 2024 [2 favorites]


I guess it would be also good to share something I saw around a month ago, which was a thread about the history of Korea and mass protest and authoritarian dictatorship, which I hadn't known much about before:

oh no that thread is mine and it's breaking containment
posted by i used to be someone else at 11:03 AM on December 3, 2024 [23 favorites]


South Korea is giving the world a quick clinic on direct participation in a democracy. Americans should take note.
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 11:09 AM on December 3, 2024 [7 favorites]


WaPo currently leading with "South Korean military says martial law will remain in place despite parliament’s vote to reject it."
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared “emergency martial law” Tuesday evening in frustration with the opposition-dominated parliament he claimed was paralyzing the government. It is the first time in more than four decades that martial law has been declared in the country, and the decree prohibits all political activities, rallies and demonstrations, and subjects all media to martial law control. Parliament convened a plenary session in response and promptly voted down the decree. However, South Korean military officials said the law will remain in place until the president lifts it, according to local media outlet YTN.
Sky News is also reporting the same:
Defence ministry says martial law remains in place until president lifts it
There appears to be some confusion as President Yoon Suk Yeol has not yet formally lifted his martial law declaration - despite South Korea's parliament voting to overturn it.

Members of parliament are remaining inside the National Assembly building until martial law is formally lifted.

The defence ministry has now told South Korean media: "We will maintain the martial law command until the president lifts the martial law."

It's worth noting that while martial law is in place, the media is under the control of the military command.
Both reports are from within the last hour after the National Assembly vote.
posted by star gentle uterus at 11:14 AM on December 3, 2024 [4 favorites]


South Korea is giving the world a quick clinic on direct participation in a democracy. Americans should take note.

No, I think what's happening is most of us have grown up so used to liberal democratic norms that the idea of democratic institutions just not working or being stopped by force is largely unthinkable.
posted by star gentle uterus at 11:16 AM on December 3, 2024 [10 favorites]


given that the media is broadcasting its own programming rather than the government's, i think the military official is basically trying to act like they have it under control. which they don't--yoon's only choice is to really escalate violently from here, because if he tries to veto the assembly's overturning of his martial law, he's going to find himself even more politically isolated.

his own party isn't supporting him here.
posted by i used to be someone else at 11:19 AM on December 3, 2024 [10 favorites]


reports are also saying the the MoD called in all employees at the beginning of the self-coup attempt, and is now sending everyone home. the claim that martial law is still in effect is starting to sound even more toothless
posted by i used to be someone else at 11:30 AM on December 3, 2024 [2 favorites]


Breaking: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announces he will comply with the National Assembly and lift martial law. — Hyunsu Yim, Reuters Correspondent
posted by 1970s Antihero at 11:36 AM on December 3, 2024 [15 favorites]


Captain Murphy had better luck declaring Martian Law.
posted by whuppy at 11:42 AM on December 3, 2024 [2 favorites]


What is up with all this creeping authoritarianism across the world? It is as if SARS COVID-19 was an engineered virus created to make people insane. (it is not, of course)
posted by moonbiter at 11:45 AM on December 3, 2024 [7 favorites]


What is up with all this creeping authoritarianism across the world?

Climate change, competition for dwindling natural resources...
posted by subdee at 11:49 AM on December 3, 2024 [15 favorites]


I felt like "Oh well, first the Philippines go back to a Marcos government and now South Korea is once again a police state..." for about three hours today, and the whiplash on this is confusing all of my feelings.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 11:53 AM on December 3, 2024 [2 favorites]


oh, yoon is fucking toast.

at least he'll be able to join the legacy of conservative korean presidents: impeachment (c.f., park geun-hye, 2017) and imprisonment (c.f., chun doo-hwan, roh tae-woo, lee myung-bak, and park geun-hye)
posted by i used to be someone else at 11:53 AM on December 3, 2024 [9 favorites]


Echoes of “I declare bankruptcy!” on The Office.
posted by notoriety public at 11:55 AM on December 3, 2024


What is up with all this creeping authoritarianism across the world? It is as if SARS COVID-19 was an engineered virus created to make people insane. (it is not, of course)

We've been on this path since at least 2016 when the Brexit referendum happened. Duterte, Edrogan, Nigel Farage, Trump, Boris Johnson. That's when I felt the global shift, at least.
posted by grumpybear69 at 11:58 AM on December 3, 2024 [14 favorites]


I’d be happiest if we could keep this thread tightly focused on South Korea, its history and politics, instead of trying to universalize it or something. I’ve done enough reading about the history of Korea to understand they have a very specific set of political, historical, and social elements that are going to make this play out in, for want of a better term, “a South Korean way.” Let’s try to follow that.
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:59 AM on December 3, 2024 [34 favorites]


We live in a deeply interconnected world.

National politics are scarcely more localized than carbon emissions, COVID, or the flu.

I think we can only truly understand what's happening in Korea by putting it in a global context.
posted by jamjam at 12:13 PM on December 3, 2024 [1 favorite]


we can only truly understand what's happening in Korea by putting it in a global context

There were a lot of people on Bluesky who were really jazzed by how the coverage of the story there "Felt just like old Twitter!" which made me think "Yeah, a lot of people who actually know shit and can communicate with nuance are getting drowned out by a bunch of Americans making it about themselves, just like old Twitter."

Not saying that's your intention, but I'd rather learn about Korea than What Korea Means For [Whatever].
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 12:21 PM on December 3, 2024 [12 favorites]


sure, there is a global context.

one could argue yoon wasn't elected by angry young men, but because the center-left democratic party under moon jae-in was in charge during the height of covid and so it falls under the pattern of incumbents losing

one could argue that yoon was elected by angry young men and a poisoned information sphere by angry, lower-information voters against a better qualified center-left candidate who unfortunately alienated critical voting blocs, including women

i mean, if we want, we can bring tk of ask a korean and now blue roof's pet theory of how korea presages the us by about a half decade, since:

2017 - park geun-hye, historically unpopular conservative with few brain cells, impeached
2020 - donald trump, historically unpopular conservative with few brain cells, impeached

2018-2022 - moon jae-in, a moderately effective center-left president tried to do his best against headwinds, helped boost the economy, but failed to make his policies felt among the younger voters
2020-2024 - joseph biden, a moderately effective center-left president tried to do his best against headwinds, helped boost the economy, but failed to make his policies felt among the younger voters

2022-2024 - yoon sul-yeol, an asinine, historically unpopular conservative with few brain cells, is elected by idiots and basically runs amok in office with half-baked concepts of a plan, making things worse for everyone
2024 - donald trump, an asinine, historically unpopular conservative with few brain cells, is elected by idiots and will basically run amok in office with half-baked concepts of a plan, making things worse for everyone...
posted by i used to be someone else at 12:23 PM on December 3, 2024 [34 favorites]


Mod note: One deleted, poster’s request.
posted by travelingthyme (staff) at 12:25 PM on December 3, 2024 [2 favorites]


on a more serious note, i am struggling to see what the upside here was for yoon--he's underwater and losing the budget negotiations, and his base core of support in the southeast (north gyeongsang province and daegu specifically), which trends conservative wasn't itching for this

everybody 40 years and up basically remembers what life was like under the dictatorship and martial law, and everyone under 40 has been more or less taught that the dictatorship was awful, and steeped in that sensibility with how the tv/film media has been liberalized since 2000

pulling this is essentially committing a mortal, unforgivable sin that not even his conservative allies could stand and it seems like they actually had *some* honor and pride in the democratic system, unlike the GOP, even though the majority of them didn't partake in the vote to rescind the martial law decree (party leader said they couldn't get into the assembly hall, which reads to me like cowardice)
posted by i used to be someone else at 12:27 PM on December 3, 2024 [14 favorites]


I'm looking forward to everyone on the internet morphing into a subject-matter expert on South Korean politics in the next few hours.

I’ve been studying Korean on Duolingo for some time, let me break this all down for you…

ahem ahem ::in bad korean:: THE INSECTS WEAR SHOES. I DRINK WATER. THE FISH IS BLUE.
posted by youthenrage at 12:42 PM on December 3, 2024 [9 favorites]


I will be very interested to see if we get any insight into Yoon’s thought process — I mean martial law is a very bold step, especially in a country where there’s a lot of negative feeling about martial law, so what was he gaining by his recklessness? I gather there are some corruption investigations that are going badly…
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:42 PM on December 3, 2024 [3 favorites]


i don't think there was much of a thought process. yoon seems to basically just go with his gut and he's got a worse success rate than lori lightfoot on that

and because he goes with his gut he never thinks things through: he didn't consider the impacts of moving the presidential residence from the blue house to the old MoD building; he didn't consider the effects of rolling over for japan on the matter of comfort women or forced labor during the occupation; he didn't things through about trying to muzzle the free press; he didn't think things through about covering up soldier deaths...
posted by i used to be someone else at 1:08 PM on December 3, 2024 [7 favorites]


Can't shake the feeling something this wild and inexplicable might be designed to distract from anyone noticing some worse craziness going on off camera.
posted by skippyhacker at 1:23 PM on December 3, 2024 [2 favorites]


in korea? or someplace more "important"?

i really wish people wouldn't always say that "[x] is a distraction!" given that i always seem to hear it about women's issues, about korea, about trans issues, about queer issues

go keep your eye on the ball or whatever, some of us are just fine worried about family and shit
posted by i used to be someone else at 1:30 PM on December 3, 2024 [28 favorites]


There were a lot of people on Bluesky who were really jazzed by how the coverage of the story there "Felt just like old Twitter!" which made me think "Yeah, a lot of people who actually know shit and can communicate with nuance are getting drowned out by a bunch of Americans making it about themselves, just like old Twitter."

Honestly, I give it six months - a year, tops. I can't envision any scenario where popularity isn't going to tank its usefulness.
posted by ryanshepard at 1:45 PM on December 3, 2024


I appreciate the efforts to keep this Korean-focused, as I am pretty ignorant about Korean politics and always want to know more about how the world works in other places.

Some questions I have that may or may not be answerable:
  • The write-up describes this as "the first time in four decades that martial law has been declared." Other ways of expressing this idea would presumably be: "the first time in the lifetime of most of the current population" or "the first time since centralized control over media and news coverage has essentially been ended by the advent of the Internet." Are those factors affecting the course of events in noticeable ways?
  • Last time I checked, South Korea had universal male military conscription. Not knowing any differently, I presume the upper leadership of the South Korean military are a self-selecting career military class but does the large number of national service conscriptees affect their ability to command and deploy troops in a divisive political situation?
  • On the other side of the DMZ, how are these events likely to be reflected in North Korea? I presume DPRK propagandists are working overtime to stress to their own people the chaos caused by the corruption and whatever of their ROK neighbors but on the other hand perhaps instead the DPRK leadership does as much as they can to not give their people any ideas about removing leadership from power when they are dissatisfied. How is the DPRK reacting to this and are there specific ways in which the North traditionally attempts to take advantage of division in the South?
posted by Nerd of the North at 2:25 PM on December 3, 2024 [3 favorites]


I felt like "Oh well, first the Philippines go back to a Marcos government and now South Korea is once again a police state..." for about three hours today, and the whiplash on this is confusing all of my feelings.

Apropos of which: The Philippine vice president publicly threatens to have the president assassinated and then Impeachment complaint filed against Philippine Vice President Duterte after she threatened president [AP]
posted by snuffleupagus at 2:41 PM on December 3, 2024 [3 favorites]


> Honestly, I give it six months - a year, tops. I can't envision any scenario where popularity isn't going to tank its usefulness.

Third party reputation management services that can help folks only see replies from various subsets of the user base?
posted by constraint at 3:21 PM on December 3, 2024


I will be very interested to see if we get any insight into Yoon’s thought process — I mean martial law is a very bold step, especially in a country where there’s a lot of negative feeling about martial law, so what was he gaining by his recklessness? I gather there are some corruption investigations that are going badly…

There were rumors that articles of impeachment were going to brought against him today, regarding his interference with the investigations into charges of his wife's corruption, and he thought this would make it better somehow? I don't believe he is a big thinker. Now I assume he is going to get the big boy articles of impeachment brought against him, which is kind of exciting.

Also, not specifically politically related, but like 50% of the population of Korea lives within 90 minutes of Seoul City Hall, so a huge number of protestors can basically appear immediately if necessary.

As for me, I went to bed early and woke up to like a thousand Kakao messages about this, but everything was over by the time I first heard about it.
posted by Literaryhero at 3:33 PM on December 3, 2024 [6 favorites]


Yoon certainly managed to unite all the political parties.
posted by needled at 4:15 PM on December 3, 2024 [1 favorite]


The write-up describes this as "the first time in four decades that martial law has been declared." Other ways of expressing this idea would presumably be: "the first time in the lifetime of most of the current population" or "the first time since centralized control over media and news coverage has essentially been ended by the advent of the Internet." Are those factors affecting the course of events in noticeable ways?

i'm not sure what the distinction is you're trying to suss out? if re: most of the current population, the last time martial law was declared was 1980, which means anyone over 44; which is actually really close to the median age of the population. i guess the main thing i'm trying to identify is what you're specifically asking here.

---

Last time I checked, South Korea had universal male military conscription. Not knowing any differently, I presume the upper leadership of the South Korean military are a self-selecting career military class but does the large number of national service conscriptees affect their ability to command and deploy troops in a divisive political situation?

still does. yes and no. from the reports on the ground it seemed like many of the troops didn't actually have live rounds or magazines equipped, and most seemed not super enthusiastic about being called into action; the rhetoric yoon used, which spoke of north korean infiltrators, is not one that resonates with younger generations who don't see north korea as the same existential threat that older generations do

---

On the other side of the DMZ, how are these events likely to be reflected in North Korea? I presume DPRK propagandists are working overtime to stress to their own people the chaos caused by the corruption and whatever of their ROK neighbors but on the other hand perhaps instead the DPRK leadership does as much as they can to not give their people any ideas about removing leadership from power when they are dissatisfied. How is the DPRK reacting to this and are there specific ways in which the North traditionally attempts to take advantage of division in the South?

i don't know if there's enough information yet to really do kremlinology of north korea here. but north korea was almost certainly not involved at all in the failed self-coup attempt
posted by i used to be someone else at 4:16 PM on December 3, 2024 [6 favorites]


To think that 12.12: The Day (서울의 봄), the top-grossing movie in Korea of 2023, was released just over a year ago. The events of the 1979 military coup by Chun Doo-hwan and his cronies, which were fictionalized in the movie, were likely fresh in many Koreans' minds, including the younger generations born after the end of military rule.
posted by needled at 4:37 PM on December 3, 2024 [3 favorites]


i'm not sure what the distinction is you're trying to suss out? if re: most of the current population, the last time martial law was declared was 1980, which means anyone over 44; which is actually really close to the median age of the population. i guess the main thing i'm trying to identify is what you're specifically asking here.
This declaration of martial law seems to have been premature at best and very probably a last-ditch desperation move by a politician who felt like the walls were closing in, and maybe every such declaration is sufficiently sui generis that it is difficult to compare one to another.

This instance certainly seems to have collapsed before many potential factors could have come into play, so probably my Internet-age musings are irrelevant. But even if not applicable to this particular situation, I do wonder how changes in the media environment may make it harder to control access to information following similar declarations in the future.

As I offered when I posed the question, very likely its unanswerable (at least without further examples.) I just was thinking that the environment in the 80s (when such a declaration last occurred) and the one now are very, very different and I wondered how some of those differences might matter. In this case I suspect "very little", if only because President Yoon's attempt was insufficiently organized and collapsed almost immediately.
i don't know if there's enough information yet to really do kremlinology of north korea here. but north korea was almost certainly not involved at all in the failed self-coup attempt
Oh, I hope that what I wrote can not be interpreted to suggest that I thought the DPRK were involved in causing this. It's just that I expect them to respond opportunistically to any turmoil in the ROK, and wondered how that might manifest in this case. Again, though, this particular attempt for a South Korean leader to cling to power seems to have collapsed so quickly that I don't expect much to develop in this area.
posted by Nerd of the North at 4:54 PM on December 3, 2024 [1 favorite]


North Korean infiltration probably resonated with Yoon, born 1960, since Korea's first lady, Yuk Young-soo, was assassinated in 1974 by a North Korea sympathizer during an attempt on her husband, dictator Park Chung Hee.
posted by Monday, stony Monday at 7:49 PM on December 3, 2024


MBC News (nitter link):
(Machine translation) People Power Party Leadership: "We must demand Yoon's withdrawal from the party, the resignation of all State Council members, and the dismissal of the Minister of National Defense"
posted by cendawanita at 8:26 PM on December 3, 2024 [4 favorites]


It's just that I expect them to respond opportunistically to any turmoil in the ROK, and wondered how that might manifest in this case.

I don't see why they'd bother to tell anyone about it at all. They own all the local media, jam the RF at the border, and criminalize working around the censorship. There's no reason to brag about it to manipulate the population when you're already the only voice they hear.
posted by pwnguin at 8:28 PM on December 3, 2024


What is up with all this creeping authoritarianism across the world? It is as if SARS COVID-19 was an engineered virus created to make people insane. (it is not, of course)

not designed for doesn't mean it can't do it. i remember seeing some mention of long-term mental health effects and possibly-correlated political changes after the 1918 flu epidemic somewhere, probably about four years ago...
posted by Clowder of bats at 8:34 PM on December 3, 2024 [1 favorite]


There's no reason to brag about it to manipulate the population when you're already the only voice they hear.

"Photograph of an South Korean opposition party politician smashing their way through a barricaded door. This is from a May 1986 issue of North Korea's propaganda monthly Korea Today. North Korean media widely reported on ROK political turmoil in 1980s, and I wouldn't be shocked if they do so now."
posted by BungaDunga at 10:56 PM on December 3, 2024


I wonder if the Trump election affected the timing of Yoon’s coup. I mean, if Yoon had a mostly-but-not-entirely irrational fear that Trump would be more sympathetic to Kim Jong-il, it might prompt him to act sooner rather than later, especially if he felt he was buddies with the Biden administration.

Also, while it’s entirely possible the DPRK will use this as propaganda, it wouldn’t surprise me if they ignored it entirely this time around. Right now, the DPRK’s only friend in the world is Putin, and Putin has a profound hatred of protest-led color revolutions.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 5:41 AM on December 4, 2024


*Un, not Il.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 5:48 AM on December 4, 2024


W in T actual F

*snort* This is almost VERBATIM what my roommate's good friend in Seoul texted him yesterday morning.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:13 AM on December 4, 2024 [1 favorite]


Sarah Jeong, who happened to be in Seoul and liveblogged the evening's protests on BlueSky, has written up an account for The Verge, at which she is features editor.
posted by Gelatin at 7:18 AM on December 4, 2024 [8 favorites]


Oh ok: (in Korean) Yoon, Knowing Martial Law Will Be Lifted Soon, Declare… “To Warn the Opposition Party”

Per The Blue Roof's better translation: Yoon told his party that he declared martial law knowing that the National Assembly would dissolve it soon, "just as a warning to the opposition."

Yoon also argued that the one hour delay between his martial law announcement and military deployment to the National Assembly indicated his intention that he did not want to commandeer the legislature.
posted by cendawanita at 7:45 AM on December 4, 2024


A tangent: from Jeong's account, the alcohol culture in Seoul is quite something, and I say this as someone from legendary-for-alcoholism-and-DUI Wisconsin. (I don't myself drink, though.)

Is Jeong exaggerating, or perhaps only seeing part of the picture? Or is it really Like That?
posted by humbug at 8:40 AM on December 4, 2024 [2 favorites]


I can only answer from my own perspective with also an anecdote: "huh, there sure is a lot of recipes for hangovers."
posted by cendawanita at 8:51 AM on December 4, 2024 [3 favorites]


a lot of koreans go by the "work hard, play hard" rule, which is why so many of them take up hiking for fun.

korea is the third highest in number of hours worked in the oecd.

alcohol is also fairly cheap and requires less expensive gear compared to hiking.
posted by i used to be someone else at 9:59 AM on December 4, 2024 [3 favorites]


Not only that, but alcohol-consumption is one of the few pressure-valves where the steel shackles of the Confusian patriarchy can be pierced and one is allowed to give feedback to their elders. The extreme taboo against otherwise giving any kind of feedback to your superiors makes non-participation socially ostracizing.
posted by I-Write-Essays at 11:20 AM on December 4, 2024 [1 favorite]


"This is a historic moment, but I don't want to experience this kind of history," said Lee-Sang-seon, speaking for nearly everyone anymore, presumably.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:30 AM on December 4, 2024 [4 favorites]


A BBC article speculating on Yoon’s motivations. it does not contradict i used to be someone else’s take from earlier in the thread that Yoon “did not think things through.”
posted by GenjiandProust at 1:09 PM on December 4, 2024 [2 favorites]


I've no idea how seriously climate change already impacted Spouth Korea, subdee, not enough for real action of course, but..

How the Climate Crisis is Impacting South Korea suggests they had some bad flooding. Anyone know how the South Korean government handles insurance regulation? Are they saner than the US? Or inexperienced in large disasters? I donno..

Internet claims South Korea imports 70% of its food. Appears South Korean food imports expensese jumped 40% from 2020-2022, which likely stayed inflated, or maybe 2023 and 2024 got even worse. I'd assume South Koreans experenced substancial food price increases, which always pisses people off, even if overall people remain comfortable food wise. Sounds like the UK?

I suppose "competition for dwindling natural resources" hits South Korea too, but competition with China maybe matters more so far, not sure.
posted by jeffburdges at 2:36 PM on December 4, 2024 [1 favorite]


I'd assume South Koreans experenced substancial food price increases...

Tiny bit of anecdata but I follow several Korean food vloggers and one thing I've noticed is that ALL of them have complained about rising prices of basic food items. One is a Busan cafe owner who opened just before Covid and she often talks frankly about how the rising prices affect her overheads. Another thing I've noticed which is possibly more directly related to the climate issue is a couple of them are actively stashing shelf-stable foods "in case" - particularly after the most recent typhoon. These are young women who live alone in the tiniest of apartments so finding space to store ramyun and bottled water represents quite an investment of space. Again, tiny sample size so take with huge grains of salt etc.
posted by ninazer0 at 3:05 PM on December 4, 2024 [3 favorites]


Upthread, someone was asking about the way an article referred to the last time martial law was imposed and how relevant the historical context might be.

I'm not Korean but I lived there for a few years and made a point of learning a bit of it's history. If I've got any of it wrong, my apologies. The last time martial law in the country was imposed it was related to the Gwangju Uprising
a pro democracy movement that turned very violent. Official reports say that there were 165 civilian casualties but I've always heard the number was closer to 2500. It loomed large in the culture when I was there and from what I can tell it still does.

If I were to try to put things into an American context purely for comparison, imagine what would happen if the American president tried overturning the Civil Rights Act.
posted by peppermind at 5:30 PM on December 4, 2024 [1 favorite]


attached are the two previouslies that i requested be deleted when i closed an earlier account, if anyone wants more links/context
오일팔 (5·18)
May 18, 2020 20:02  

Forty years ago, the citizens of Gwangju rose up to fight for their democracy.
It was a difficult time in South Korea. Just seven months prior, in October 19791, President PARK Chung-hee2, who had come to power 18 years prior by coup d'état, had been assassinated by KIM Jae-gyu, the head of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency3. Barely a month had passed before CHUN Doo-hwan led elements of the ROK Army in his first coup d'état to rip power from Prime Minister/Acting President CHOI Kyu-ha, who had promised new democratic elections and a new constitution to replace the Yushin Constitution written by PARK.

On 17 May, CHUN Doo-hwan initiated a second coup to consolidate his power and extend military rule over all of South Korea; as part of this expanded martial law, closed all universities, further censored the press, and banned all political activities. Concurrently, he arrested numerous opposition figures, including favored regional son4, future South Korean President, and Nobel Laureate KIM Dae-jung5. In response, over 200 students of Cheonnam National University6 began protesting at the gate of the University, before marching into the city, gaining additional support. That night, soldiers beat an innocent to death who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, escalating the conflict. When the soldiers began to fire on citizens on the 20th, over 10,000 people were protesting; the gunfire led to armory raids and bloody gunfights between civilian militias and the army over the next five days. There is no complete list of those who were murdered by the regime.

While the CHUN dictatorship attempted to block news of the protests, foreign reporters such as Jürgen Hinzpeter of ARD and Tim Shorrock broke the news globally, which helped set the stage for the successful June Struggle of 19877.

After its transition to a functional democracy, the government South Korea began to remember the Uprising, which included creating a memorial cemetary and the formation of a Truth Commission this year, and multiple films and books have been written about the events: ---

1This is a fictionalized, satirical retelling of the events of 1979-10-26.
2PARK Chung-hee has a complex legacy. A 친일파, he was also responsible for kick-starting South Korea's economic growth while disappearing people. He's also the father of impeached President PARK Geun-hye, who was removed from office due to gross corruption (as well as some gross incompetence ).
3Shortly after CHUN Doo-hwan came to power, it was reorganized as the Agency for National Security Planning, where it continued its abuses. In 1999, during KIM Dae-jung's term, it was renamed the National Intelligence Service, where its powers were further curtailed even as it continued its abuses.
4Regionalism is a factor here; Gwangju is in the Jeolla region, which has typically been more leftist, and had often found itself deprived of resources and support due to governmental baises. These biases were driven by PARK and CHUN, who were both from the Gyeongsang region, which is typically more rightist.
5This was not KIM Dae-jung's first brush with dictatorship; he'd been arrested by the PARK regime, exiled, forced into house arrest, and had assassination attempts on his life.
6Chonnam, derived from Cheolla-Nam, or "South Cheolla" Province.
7The additional attention being paid to South Korea for the 1988 Seoul Olympics prevented CHUN from violently suppressing these demonstrations; it is reported that American President Ronald REAGAN also wished to avoid supporting another situation similar to Ferdinand Marcos.
8Magnificent director of: Oasis, Secret Sunshine, Poetry, and Burning.
9Magnificent actor, seen in so many Korean movies of renown.

---
6월 민주항쟁
June 8, 2020 11:43  

Thirty-three years ago, 240,000 citizens across 22 cities demonstrated to demand free elections.
The year was 1987, and the South Korean tiger was beginning to roar. The shift to an export-oriented economy under CHUN Doo-hwan1 had started to make Korean conglomerates (discount) household names: GoldStar2 electric fans, Daewoo3 televisions, and the Hyundai Excel4, 5. In just over a year, South Korea would have a feature article in National Geographic and Seoul would welcome the world for the XXIV Olympiad 6, showcasing the Miracle on the Han River 7.

For those in power, the excitement has led to a feeling of confidence--granting a form of mercy to two opposition leaders, KIM Dae-jung8, whose death sentence was commuted, allowed to return from exile, and live under house arrest, and KIM Young-sam9 (no relation), who was allowed to resume participation in political activity. For the wealthy and the upwardly mobile, Korea was rocketing to modernity, with GDP having quadrupled over the past decade. With this confidence, CHUN Doo-hwan named his successor, ROH Tae-woo, on 10 June.

But dissatisfaction over the dictatorship continued to bubble, and reached every member of society. In early January, a student council president named PARK Jong-cheol studying linguistics at Seoul University10 disappeared; four months later, on 18 May, the Catholic Priests Association for Justice discovered the truth, revealing to the public that he had been detained by the government for pro-democracy activities and refused to name fellow activists even after being waterboarded11, which directly led to his death on 14 January. In response, students and activists began to protest, as was to be expected. Riot police were brought in to maintain order, inflaming tensions further. Then, during a demonstration on 9 June, a student at Yonsei University10 named LEE Han-yeol was murdered when a tear gas canister fired by the police penetrated his skull12.

The police's violent escalation inflamed the protests, and by 18 June, 1.5 million citizens from all socioeconomic classes --students, labor, farmers, and white-collar workers, among others--were protesting nationwide, leading to CHUN Doo-hwan issuing an order for a military crackdown the following day, which he rescinded hours later due to the recent memory of Gwangju. The struggle for democracy and justice continued throughout the rest of the month, with over a million marching on the 25th, with counterprotests to police violence occurring daily.

On June 29, ROH Tae-woo capitulated to the demands of the protestors, which paved the way for democratic elections in South Korea in December of 1987. ROH was able to win due to KIM Young-sam and KIM Dae-jung splitting the opposition vote. Three days after ROH's victory, the Fifth Republic of Korea was dissolved with the adoption of a new constitution, and the foundations of the vibrant, modern, and democratic Korean republic were laid.

A movie about the events, 1987: When the Day Comes, was released on the 30th anniversary. (Google Play/YouTube , Amazon, iTunes)

---

1You can read more about the brutality of this dictator here.
2GoldStar became LG in 1995.
3Daewoo, at least the vast majority of it, went bankrupt in 1999 following the IMF Crisisi.
4The 1986 Hyundai Excel broke first-year import sales records with 168,882 sold and was available for just under US$5,000 (US$12,000 when adjusted for 2020).
5Samsung is not mentioned because it wasn't until the late '90s that it would become known to consumers globally.
6These would be the first games since 1976 that had the majority of members from the Soviet Bloc and the American Bloc. North Korea would boycott, as would its ally Cuba.
7Obviously a play on the Miracle on the Rhine, aka, Wirtschaftswunder.
8He would be elected the 8th president in 1997.
9He would be elected the 7th president in 1992.
10The significance of students at these two particular universities being murdered cannot be understated. Seoul National University and Yonsei University, along with Korea University, make up the "SKY Universities", where elites are made. They have all the prestige of the Ivies, as well as all the networking opportunities that come with. The killing of students from these schools was viewed with much more shock and opprobrium than the deaths of students at other schools, let alone places like Chonnam University in the city of Gwangju, thanks to some horrible regional biases.
11In 2003, Korean American John Yoo would claim that waterboarding was not torture in order to enable the Bush Administration to not torture prisoners.
12"Non-lethal" projectiles are still lethal if they're used in certain ways.
---
iThe harsh austerity measures required by the International Monetary Fund as a precondition to the US$60 billion bailout and the knock-on effects led to a difficult three-year period that South Koreans associate more with the IMF than capital flight.


posted by i used to be someone else at 12:42 AM on December 5, 2024 [12 favorites]


re: the bbc article genjiandproust linked, there's a bit that i think needs a little more explanation, near the end:
In South Korea, prosecutions have almost become a political tool – a threat for the opposition to wield. It may partly explain why President Yoon took such drastic action.
the prosecutor's office in korea actually has much greater power and leeway compared to what one might be used to in the us; for instance, the prosecutor's office is actually able to direct and end investigations over the police; imagine if you combined the fbi and the district/state attorney into one office, and that's sorta what you get. it ends up being a lot of power, and not everyone uses it... judiciously. which is why it's not exactly the most popular or trusted governmental organization in korea. additionally, many of the positions are appointed.

incidentally, the korean #metoo movement was kicked off when a woman prosecutor, SEO ji-hyun, publicly revealed she'd been sexually harassed
posted by i used to be someone else at 12:57 AM on December 5, 2024 [4 favorites]


Thank you, peppermind!

The Guangju massacre was the first thing I thought of when I saw the military facing the protesters. I am also not Korean, so have mostly learned of Guangju via media/culture/research. Still, I'm pretty sure even young Koreans don't consider this tragedy to be 'old history.'

Today's martial law crisis -- even if just for these few hours - is no minor event for Koreans.

As for relevance to the younger generations, since the 90's there have been quite a few Korean films about the Guangju massacre. The 1917 film, A Taxi Driver stands out, if only for the controversies. The Korean government was still trying to cover up the massacre at the time the film was released: "During the filming of the movie, the director Jang Hoon was stopped multiple times, and the main actor of this film, Song Kang Ho, was blacklisted by the government from appearing on major motion picture films."

Also, more recently in pop culture, BTS are known for coded political messages; they have inserted "518-062" into several of their songs.


BTW ... the US has some really dark history related to Guangju ("but, the commies!")
posted by Surfurrus at 12:57 AM on December 5, 2024 [1 favorite]


(guangju is not a romanization that fits any of the existing patterns--mccune-reischauer, yale, or revised; it's actually more typical of how one would write chinese place names. gwangju is preferred, or if using m-r/yale kwangju)
posted by i used to be someone else at 1:00 AM on December 5, 2024 [5 favorites]


incidentally, things don't seem to be completely over, with the conservative party (people power) being utter shits about this and opposing the impeachment; the opposition only needs 8 votes for 2/3rds majority.

they are trying to use any defense they can, include asinine "men are lonely" type shit

meanwhile, the largest labor union in korea, the kctu (korean confederation of trade unions), representing about 1m workers, is going on indefinite strike until yoon resigns.

to make things worse for yoon, railworkers and metalworkers are also both going on strike, though their demands include fair wages in addition to supporting the kctu.

yoon has basically shit the bed entirely on this, and the only reason the conservatives are backing him at the moment is because he's only 2 years into his term and they're worried they'll face an extinction moment as a party if he's impeached and removed from office, because an election will need to happen within 60 days.
posted by i used to be someone else at 1:10 AM on December 5, 2024 [7 favorites]


oh, and i forgot. there's also a doctor's strike going on. one that yoon basically touched off.

that said, there's a lot less support for the doctors, because much of it seems to be based on them wanting ever higher pay and keeping the supply of doctors limited. but yoon basically tried to steamroll them and, well.

he didn't think that one through either.

i think before he pulled this stunt his approval ratings were like, below 25% or something. at this point i'd imagine he's crossed 15%.
posted by i used to be someone else at 1:21 AM on December 5, 2024 [6 favorites]


If I were to try to put things into an American context purely for comparison, imagine what would happen if the American president tried overturning the Civil Rights Act.

Umm.....

Project 2025’s Plan To Dismantle Civil Rights Laws Threatens To Legalize Discrimination [Center for American Progress, Oct. 2024]
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:21 AM on December 5, 2024 [5 favorites]


Oh for fucks sake this just got even stupider: troops occupied the election commission during martial law

the 2020 and 2022 national assembly elections in Korea basically set the stage for the current center-left near-supermajority. Which is why, of course, you have right-wing conspiratorial nutjobs and asshats talking about election skulduggery.

most people know that it's bullshit. Even in the right-wing people power party. Like, people in that party know that on 2020 one of their candidates said some out of pocket shit about the sewol disaster and it directly cost them seats.

But of course yoon, being the brainless id-monster he is, buys into that shit

There's a reason so many in Korea described him as Trumpy in 2022 when he was elected
posted by i used to be someone else at 5:19 PM on December 5, 2024 [5 favorites]


Also the head of the people power party wants to end the chaos and is saying yoon should be suspended after being a lot more wishy washy yesterday, so it looks likely that there are at least 8 more votes to impeach on Saturday, since they'll have the 2/3rds needed
posted by i used to be someone else at 5:53 PM on December 5, 2024 [1 favorite]


I was wrong about him hitting 15%

this bsky post summarizing Gallup Korea's latest has him at 16%

Yoon is toast
posted by i used to be someone else at 6:04 PM on December 5, 2024 [2 favorites]


I swear to fucking tangun If yoon tries to self-coup again tonight
posted by i used to be someone else at 1:10 AM on December 6, 2024 [5 favorites]


I was wondering what sort of Catholic Yoon is when my wife was reading from a Baptist (non-Southern) newsletter Word&Way (Dec 6 issue) on how Yoon is opposed by most S Korean Catholic Clergy.

In the same issue is a piece on Brazillian Catholic clergy opposing Bolsonaro (afaict is Catholic).

Traditional Catholic clergy oppose the so-called Integralist movement that is tightly aligned with evanglical Dominionism, [La Civilta Cattolica is a periodical published by the Jesuits in Rome, Italy.] so Catholic opposition in Korea would imply Yoon is Integralist aligned (and likely has widespread evangelical support, as SK is swamped with American-style evangelical and charismatic denominations).
posted by unearthed at 10:53 AM on December 6, 2024 [3 favorites]


So the first motion for Yoon's impeachment has failed. It didn't meet quorum requirements since the ruling party boycotted the proceedings and vacated the chamber. Prior to the impeachment vote they also failed to pass a special bill to investigate the First Lady.
posted by LostInUbe at 5:03 AM on December 7, 2024 [2 favorites]


A few short 360-degree videos (one, two, three) of the presidential impeachment demonstration near the National Assembly.
posted by jabah at 9:21 AM on December 7, 2024


gotta say i love korean protest music (with a little more info around it)
posted by i used to be someone else at 7:14 PM on December 8


Impeachment protest playlist (YouTube link) - the playlist collects the songs protesters have been singing in front of the National Assembly. It's a mix of old and new k-pop, old protest songs, and even a song from Les Mis.

To maximize your experience, please wave the fandom light stick of your choice while singing along.
posted by needled at 9:50 AM on December 9


And hot off the presses, the "105 Traitors Song" naming all 105 PPP legislators who boycotted the impeachment vote on Dec. 7. As quorum of 200 was not met, the impeachment motion was not voted on (the National Assembly has 300 legislators).
posted by needled at 1:24 PM on December 9 [3 favorites]


I've noticed this dimension but don't really have the wherewithal to comment, but anyway:
Speak Misogyny 🇰🇷: After the declaration of martial law, the participation rate of young women in protests was overwhelmingly higher than that of men. Korean media, which had largely ignored this fact, has finally started mentioning women’s participation in the protests in the news. (link to the Korean twt with the news clip)
posted by cendawanita at 7:37 PM on December 9 [4 favorites]


Good lord. A thread by The Blue Roof includes info like:

the special unit whose main task is to assassinate NK leaders in case of war was used to arrest (or even assassinate) the opposing lawmakers and they were dressed as NK uniforms

the original plan was to provoke war with NK as justification for a coup but NK didn't bite on drone incursions in October

the plan hit a snag because the Air Force wasn't in on it and didn't approve a helicopter flight carrying special forces

planning started maybe as far back as July 2023
posted by LostInUbe at 12:20 AM on December 11 [4 favorites]


South Korea’s parliament votes to impeach president over martial law debacle (CNN, December 14):
Thousands of protesters gathered in Seoul on Saturday, braving the cold to call for Yoon to resign ahead of the vote, which was passed by 204 lawmakers with 85 voting against it.

“He surely tried to have a war against the citizens so this is just what he deserved,” one protestor, Lim Dong Eon, told CNN outside the National Assembly building after the vote, where protesting has now turned into partying.

Another protestor kept their message short, telling CNN: “Democracy is back!”
posted by Not A Thing at 6:26 AM on December 14 [5 favorites]


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