As soon as martial law was declared, police blocked the entrances to the National Assembly, prompting crowds to gather in a non-violent protest. (Reuters)
Torunika Roy
Dec 7, 2024 12:02 IST First published on: Dec 7, 2024 at 11:53 IST
The night of December 3 felt surreal to many South Koreans. Around 10:23 pm (KST), South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol delivered a six-minute speech, declaring a nationwide martial law. In his speech, he blamed the opposition for “paralysing” the government by initiating impeachments, slashing the budget, and attacking the constitutional order. The imposition of martial law banned all political activities, imposed surveillance over media, outlawed mass protests, and allowed arrests without warrants.
As soon as martial law was declared, police blocked the entrances to the National Assembly, prompting crowds to gather in a non-violent protest. The arrival of airborne troops further escalated the situation, as they began to enter the National Assembly to prevent lawmakers from voting against the decree.
Despite blockades and the presence of military troops, through the unity of opposition parties and a fraction of the ruling party, PPP (People Power Party), all 190 lawmakers unanimously voted to repeal the martial law by 1:00 am. By 4:27 am, President Yoon announced the repeal of martial law.
Public Reaction and Protest
South Korea has a “late night work culture”, where employees sometimes stay in the office until midnight. When people heard about martial law, a few working around Yeouido (the location of the National Assembly) rushed to the National Assembly along with legislators, university students, and journalists. Although people could not directly vote to repeal the martial law, their swiftness and high civic awareness of their duties as citizens compelled them to gather en masse within minutes of the martial law declaration, pressuring the government through public outcry and non-violent protests. The promptness of lawmakers cannot go unnoticed. DP leader Lee Jae-myung live-streamed on YouTube as he jumped the National Assembly fence to cast his critical vote against martial law. He also urged the citizens to gather in huge numbers. The fact that everything happened in less than three hours played a massive part in saving democracy in South Korea. A Korean engineer commented, “I think it might have been different if it happened on a weekend or if the parliament vote was delayed to another day.”
The night of December 3 also brought troubled memories back into the limelight. “The declaration of martial law was something I had only read in history, and experiencing it first-hand was incredibly frightening,” said a Korean employee. President Yoon’s declaration brought back the nightmare of military regimes from the past. Many people reportedly stayed awake all night out of concern that Korea might return to the dark era of military rule.
Korea has experienced authoritarian rule from the 1960s to the 1980s. Military dictators and authoritarian leaders like Rhee Syngman, Park Chung-hee, and Chun Doo-hwan ruled the country with an iron fist. Those dictators suppressed political freedoms, curbed dissent, and restricted civil liberties. The long authoritarian rule also imbibed a strong culture of protest among Koreans. For instance, the 1960 April Revolution protests broke out to defy Rhee Syngman’s martial law, forcing him to step down from the presidency. In 1961, Park Chung-hee led a military coup and took power. He also frequently declared martial law and cracked down on dissenters. After Park’s assassination, Chun Doo-hwan led another military coup and ruled Korea with brutality. He became notorious for crushing the Gwangju Uprising in 1980, a mass protest against the Chun’s rule. The trauma of military rule is so vivid among Koreans that journalists of Gwangju barricaded their newsrooms on the night of December 3.
The dictators were known for amending the constitution to stay in power longer. The Constitution was amended nine times, establishing six republics. For instance, in 1954, Rhee Syngman amended the constitution to remove term limits and declare himself president for life. Similarly, Park Chung-hee’s Yushin system of government concentrated authority in the office of an indirectly elected president who was not subject to term limits. Chun Doo-hwan also utilised constitutional amendments to limit democratic reforms. Therefore, to prevent democracy from backsliding in future, South Korea adopted its current democratic constitution on 29 October 1987. Now, the president is elected by direct popular election once every five years and cannot serve more than one term.
Deeply rooted in its history of resistance against authoritarianism, the protest culture of South Korea has fostered a vibrant expression of civic participation, where citizens engage actively in rallies and demonstrations. For instance, thousands of Koreans protested for the impeachment of former President Park Guen-Hye in 2016. Desire to fight for democracy and awareness of civic rights due to education have helped Koreans lead large demonstrations against wrongdoings in the country. In 2024, there was a doctor strike, and hundreds of women protested against deepfake crimes, now followed by Yoon impeachment demonstrations. Most protests in Korea involve chanting slogans and singing songs- a symbolic tool for peaceful resistance. On 5 December, around 2000 people gathered in front of the National Assembly with candlelight, and the protests also included live performances of popular Korean songs, with lyrics modified to match protest chants.
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What next?
People were already sceptical of President Yoon, and the declaration of martial law ultimately exacerbated his position. President Yoon is on the verge of impeachment as people have called his actions “irrational” and “delusional”, supporting the motion of impeachment. There have been a series of resignations, and the opposition has already prepared the impeachment draft. Furthermore, the declaration of martial law infringed upon people’s sovereignty and angered many whose ancestors struggled tirelessly to establish democracy in South Korea.
We have yet to see what it entails for Korea. Still, the events of December 3 highlight how the shadow of long authoritarian rule lingers even in the current democratic landscape of South Korea.
The writer is a PhD Scholar in Korean Studies at the Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and a Korea Foundation Fellow conducting field research in South Korea
