South Korea’s right-wing president, Yoon Suk Yeol, suddenly declared martial law across the country on Tuesday and then swiftly rescinded it after the self-declared anti-communist power grab was unanimously rejected by parliament and sparked a public mass uprising.
Late Tuesday evening, Yoon declared martial law, saying that there is a need to protect the country from “communist forces” and to eliminate “anti-state forces.” The decree prohibited all political activities, put all news publications under control of martial law and banned all labor activities like strikes or work slowdowns.
Members of the National Assembly, South Korea’s parliament, rushed to the chamber after the declaration, with one lawmaker saying that he had to climb over a wall to get past police and military who were blocking the building. Less than three hours after it was declared, parliament voted, 190 to 0, to reverse the edict.
Meanwhile, protests erupted in Seoul after the declaration. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of South Korea’s largest unions with over 1 million members, called for an “indefinite general strike” until Yoon resigned.
Even though the parliament voted to undo the declaration, military officials had reportedly pledged to continue enforcing it until the president lifted it, according to South Korean news channel YTN.
But then, just about six hours after Yoon’s surprise television conference, he rescinded his declaration, citing the National Assembly’s vote. It was the first time martial law had been declared in South Korea since 1980, when it was declared under a fascist dictatorship propped up in part by the U.S.
Yoon is a scandal-plagued far right leader who has massively expanded the oppressive security state within the country since he was narrowly elected in 2022. President Joe Biden has been criticized for his warm relationship with Yoon, saying he is a “great friend” and maintaining diplomatic relations. The Biden administration refused to condemn the martial law declaration on Tuesday, only expressing “concern” over “developments we are seeing on the ground,” as a White House spokesperson said.
“Certainly it is our hope and expectation that the laws and regulations of a particular country are abided by that particular country,” said State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel at a news briefing. “Ultimately, we want to see these political disputes resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law. And of course, such a vote in the legislature would be consistent with that approach.”
Yoon had already faced mass calls to resign prior to Tuesday, facing accusations of abusing his veto power to advance his own interests, including vetoing a bill to investigate his wife for allegations of stock manipulation; legislation to investigate a 2022 crowd crush that killed 159 people in Seoul; and a bill to probe the death of a marine seemingly caused by negligence within the military.
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.