I was Facetiming my sister when it happened.
While discussing vacation plans, she started receiving messages from her panicked colleagues—doctors and other medical personnel on strike were to return to work within 48 hours or face punishment, “in accordance with the Martial Law Act.”
I froze.
Martial law, in 2024?
The word “martial law” invokes significant historical trauma for Koreans. It was only a couple of decades ago when hundreds of thousands of my parents’ generation were arrested, tortured, and killed under martial law while fighting for democracy—to the extent that we nicknamed our government a “democracy built on blood.”
Martial law in modern Korea is not just horrifying; it is unthinkable. Korea is a nation-state; we share a common understanding of history and a collective political identity. While martial law is among the constitutional powers of the president, no Korean with an elementary-level education would dare use that power outside of wartime. For President Yoon to invoke it in peacetime (after allegedly first attempting to provoke North Korean aggression to justify his actions) was not just a political move but also a betrayal of history.
Yoon’s declaration at half-past-ten at night forced everyone out of bed. I stayed on Facetime with both my sisters, who could now be “punished” along with other doctors on strike, watching live news updates. I’ve never felt more helpless. I was a fourteen-hour flight away from home as military helicopters flew over Seoul and special forces marched through the streets of Gangnam.
But the Korean people immediately fought back to protect our democracy, in solidarity with the legacy of the millions who fought for it in the past. Members of the National Assembly rushed to the hall to orchestrate the majority vote that forced the president to repeal his martial law order. I watched the head of the opposition, sixty-one years old, on Instagram Live as he climbed over the fence to get into the Assembly, avoiding the military that blocked the front gates. Thousands of civilians rushed to the streets in pajamas to hinder troops from entering the building, standing defenseless in front of tanks, and blocking soldiers’ guns with bare hands.
The horror of the night was resolved after three hours when members of parliament, including Yoon’s own People Power Party, voted to lift martial law. It was the result of our collective respect for democracy—even the soldiers were instructed by their superiors not to harm the civilians. The citizenry has learned from the past to never allow the government to suppress freedom.
Though martial law was over as swiftly as it began, public outrage against the president endured in the form of nationwide protests. Two weeks later, fresh off a plane from the UK for the winter vacation, I found myself in the middle of it. Though jet-lagged and shivering in the cold, I was grateful to be able to participate rather than watch updates from across the world. The -10°C December weather was made warm by free heat packs, coffee, and food from all over shops in Seoul, pre-paid by those who couldn’t attend. My severe jet lag was overcome by waving K-pop lightsticks and singing Next Level by Aespa (the lyrics were changed to demand Yoon’s impeachment) with two million Koreans. I spent the entire day singing along and laughing at various satirical flags and signs people made. When the decision was made to impeach Yoon, everyone from toddlers on their dad’s shoulders to the elderly in wheelchairs cheered in a mix of joy and relief.
December 2024 was a rollercoaster, from being terrified for both my sisters and friends in the military, to being impressed with the people’s unwavering determination to defend democracy. I was frustrated, as an expat, at the ridiculous rise in exchange rates this fiasco induced, before ultimately sharing happy tears with strangers after impeachment. It was reassuring to know that, while the people may have elected an underqualified, “abnormal man,” (quoting North Korean news) as president, we have the power to peacefully and successfully remove him from office.
Above all, I gained a deeper respect for democracy in ways that my Politics tutorials don’t offer. It is never guaranteed but only maintained by the collective will of the people to safeguard their freedom.