{"id":2207477,"date":"2024-12-10T14:19:03","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T05:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2207477"},"modified":"2024-12-11T12:39:10","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T03:39:10","slug":"yoons-martial-law-echoes-authoritarian-playbook-but-fails-in-modern-korea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/12\/yoons-martial-law-echoes-authoritarian-playbook-but-fails-in-modern-korea\/","title":{"rendered":"Yoon\u2019s martial law echoes authoritarian playbook but fails in modern Korea"},"content":{"rendered":"
President Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s martial law declaration on the evening of Dec. 3 sent shockwaves reverberating around the world. For many international observers, it was seen as part of a broader trend of right-wing leaders instigating democratic reversals.<\/span><\/p>\n But in South Korea, it was a blast from the past. The words \u201cmartial law\u201d were thought to be consigned to history textbooks. Older South Koreans recalled the curfews and campus protests of their youth.<\/span><\/p>\n Younger generations, educated about past abuses under military rule, reacted with alarm and disbelief, remembering lessons about tortured students, imprisoned opposition leaders and deadly crackdowns on democracy protests.<\/span><\/p>\n As the <\/span>events<\/span><\/a> of Dec. 3 unfolded and carried over into the early hours of the following morning, several similarities emerged between Yoon\u2019s declaration and those from South Korea\u2019s authoritarian past.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, there was one key difference: Yoon\u2019s martial law was rescinded within a few hours.<\/span><\/p>\n BACKGROUND OF MARTIAL LAW DECLARATIONS<\/b><\/p>\n Martial law has been a recurring tool in South Korea\u2019s authoritarian history, used by military leaders to suppress dissent and consolidate power. Park Chung-hee declared martial law in 1961 to facilitate his military coup, citing a slumping economy and ineffective governance following even wider protests and massacres by police during the April Revolution of 1960.<\/span><\/p>\n Park\u2019s successor, Chun Doo-hwan, expanded martial law in May 1980 to crush democratic protests after Park\u2019s assassination in 1979 in his bid to secure power again amid widescale outcry demanding a new democratic constitution.<\/span><\/p>\n Both Park and Chun justified these measures as necessary to restore order during times of crisis. They implemented sweeping restrictions: banning political activity, censoring the media, closing universities and imposing curfews. These actions, while framed as measures to protect the nation, were ultimately self-serving attempts to entrench power.<\/span><\/p>\n However, these were remarkable times in a country that had yet to experience true democratic governance.<\/span><\/p>\n Yoon Suk-yeol\u2019s declaration stands in stark contrast. Yoon\u2019s martial law declaration in which he <\/span>labeled<\/span><\/a> opposition parties as \u201canti-state forces\u201d for impeaching administration officials and threatening budget cuts, came after nearly four decades of peaceful transfers of power in Korea.<\/span><\/p>\n Moreover, while there were protests calling for Yoon\u2019s impeachment prior to his martial law declaration, they were small in scale and posed no threat to societal stability.<\/span><\/p>\n Unlike 1961 or 1980, the circumstances of 2024 suggested no real need for martial law. This key difference, alongside South Korea\u2019s evolved democratic norms, helps explain why Yoon\u2019s attempted self-coup was so short-lived.<\/span><\/p>\n