# South Korea Declares Martial Law **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 3, 2024, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111 "2024-12-03T14:09:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2024, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/81 "2024-12-13T17:55:24Z")
> [@OldOlds](#): > > Somehow comforting and disconcerting at the same time. Almost like the voters need to start putting anti- partisanship as their number one priority when voting. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2024, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/82 "2024-12-13T20:53:13Z")
Not necessarily anti-partisanship, but commitment to democracy and the rule of law. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2024, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/83 "2024-12-14T00:18:11Z")
From the link: > [@](#): > > Yoon’s defense minister during the night has since been arrested on charges of treason and attempted suicide behind bars. I read that too quickly and thought there were two charges, with the second being oddly specific. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2024, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/84 "2024-12-14T02:45:20Z")
Those wacky Orientals! (Sarcasm implied, for those who don’t get it.) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2024, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/85 "2024-12-14T02:49:57Z")
Yoon seems to have retreated from initial contrition, but protests continue: > **[Yoon Suk Yeol: Contrition to defiance ahead of second impeachment vote](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvg7pv278ezo.amp)** > > Yoon Suk Yeol - whose attempt to impose martial law backfired - faces another vote in parliament this weekend. Seems to me his party is making a mistake. They seem to be concerned that impeaching Yoon will give the other parties an advantage and they have to support Yoon. But if they do that, isn’t there a chance that they get tarred with the same animus for martial law as Yoon himself, and could get wiped out electorally? That’s what the BBC article seems to suggest. Will have to wait and see, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2024, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/86 "2024-12-14T13:00:34Z")
> **[South Korea latest: South Korea's President Yoon suspended after MPs vote to...](https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c1wq025v421t)** > > Thousands of protesters celebrated after the vote, as Yoon is suspended while the prime minister serves as acting president. MPs voted to impeach ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2024, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/87 "2024-12-14T17:11:38Z")
A bit of background on Yoon, for those of us who are not familiar with Korean politics. (Me included!) > **[How South Korea’s president sealed his own downfall](https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/14/south-korea-president-yoon-suk-yeol-downfall-analysis)** > > Yoon Suk Yeol’s party offered him the chance of a dignified exit but he chose to double down on his martial law gambit ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2024, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/88 "2024-12-14T17:19:15Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Seems to me his party is making a mistake. They seem to be concerned that impeaching Yoon will give the other parties an advantage and they have to support Yoon. > > But if they do that, isn’t there a chance that they get tarred with the same animus for martial law as Yoon himself, and could get wiped out electorally? That’s what the BBC article seems to suggest. I agree. This is the time to distance themselves and throw him to the wolves, and try to get all the blame to stick to him and not them. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2024, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/89 "2024-12-14T22:58:09Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I agree. This is the time to distance themselves and throw him to the wolves, and try to get all the blame to stick to him and not them. Do Koreans typically think that way culturally? I thought that disciplining transgressors in a group was held to be a tightly internal matter. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/90 "2024-12-16T04:23:58Z")
Police want to interview Yoon for possible rebellion charges. > **[South Korean Constitutional Court begins 1st meeting on president's...](https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7411264)** > > South Korean law enforcement authorities are pushing to summon impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning over his short-lived martial law decree as the Constitutional Court began its first meeting Monday on Yoon's case to determine whether to... ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/91 "2024-12-22T01:02:22Z")
Protests and counter-protests today. Those calling for Yoon’s removal apparently trend younger, those supporting him seem to be older. [https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/rival-protests-over-south-koreas-impeached-president-yoon-held-seoul-2024-12-21/](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/rival-protests-over-south-koreas-impeached-president-yoon-held-seoul-2024-12-21/) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/92 "2024-12-27T14:05:42Z")
And now the acting President, Han Duck-soo, has been impeached, by a vote of 192-0. The People Power Party deputies (Yoon’s and Han’s supporters) boycotted the vote, and argue it takes a two-thirds vote to impeach an acting President. The Speaker of the Parliament disagreed and issued a formal notice of impeachment. Han says he will respect that order. Presidential functions are now being executed by the next in line, the Finance Minister. It looks like part of what’s driving it is that there are three vacancies on the Constitutional Court, which is the body that rules on impeachments. The Parliament has nominated three new judges, and the PPP opposed those nominations. > **[More political turmoil in South Korea as acting president also impeached by...](https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7419199)** > > South Korea's opposition-controlled National Assembly voted Friday to impeach acting president Han Duck-soo despite vehement protests by governing party lawmakers, further deepening the country's political crisis set off by President Yoon Suk Yeol's... ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/93 "2024-12-27T15:53:33Z")
So, we have a nation where one party is refusing to do their jobs, and the rest of the country is actually responding “OK, then, it’s not your job any more”? Think that’ll catch on? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2024, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/94 "2024-12-28T19:03:20Z")
I’m having a hard time thinking of any other democracy that has such a high ratio of presidents-to-jail or presidents-to-scandal. Seemingly every other South Korean president seems destined for prison or something post-presidency. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2024, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/95 "2024-12-28T19:31:01Z")
South Korea (and Taiwan) were for decades ruled by authoritarian strong men simply because under the continual threat of external conquest by totalitarian powers no dissent was allowable. That sort of system doesn’t liberalize or recognize the rule of law easily and it encourages cronyism. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2024, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/96 "2024-12-31T02:15:42Z")
Court issues arrest warrant for Yoon and search warrant for his premises. Unclear if presidential security service will cooperate. > **[South Korean court approves arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol | CBC...](https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/yoon-suk-yeol-warrant-1.7420667)** > > A South Korean court on Tuesday approved an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been impeached and suspended from power over his decision to impose martial law on Dec. 3, investigating authorities said. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/97 "2025-01-03T11:39:00Z")
No, it doesn’t look like they’re going to cooperate. Toon’s sounding and acting more and more Trumpy the more I learn about him. Misinformation, rigged elections, “stop the steal,” etc. > **[Yoon Suk Yeol: Failed arrest pushes S Korea into uncharted territory](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8n0ng2m88o)** > > Yoon Suk Yeol is being investigated for inciting an insurrection, yet police are unable to arrest him. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/98 "2025-01-03T12:49:16Z")
Who’s paying his bodyguards’ salaries? Who controls their pensions? ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/99 "2025-01-03T13:09:18Z")
Yeah- how does a guy who **isn’t** president have guards that can defy the police? ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111/100 "2025-01-03T13:36:45Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > > [@OldOlds](#): > > > > I was told that using “Orient” as a geography was fine, but not for people. > > This article provides a pretty good overview of the issues with the terminology. That article says > [@](#): > > There are several reasons scholars now avoid using phrases like “the East,” “the Far East,” and “the Orient,” including … their association with modern empires, … and their tendency to homogenize large, diverse parts of the world as if they shared a single cultural identity. Is it still acceptable to say “Europe” and “European”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korea-declares-martial-law/1011111.md?page=6)