Wednesday, December 4

South Korea is in chaos after a controversial incident involving the establishment of martial law occurred last night, with the entire country erupting over the government's decisions.

Martial law is when a country is temporarily placed under military rule. This usually happens during war, rebellion, or serious natural disasters to reorganize and settle the population. For example, Ukraine is currently under martial law due to their ongoing war with Russia, giving military commanders the authority to create or enforce laws when needed.

President Yoon Suk Yeol made a major announcement on Tuesday night local time, around 10:30 pm, when he imposed martial law upon the country due to suspicious activities by his opposition parties. He claimed that they were scheming with North Korea to take him down, which gave reason for a state of emergency. The arrival of martial law would have imposed military rule upon the entire country and led to a temporary ban on all public protests and other actions by his opposing political parties. His statement called on citizens to endure "some inconveniences" in order to "eradicate pro-North Korean forces" within the country, but the idea of martial law sparked severe backlash.

Due to the late declaration and the fact that no signal was given beforehand, the entire world was extremely surprised by the announcement. South Koreans immediately began taking to the streets, protesting with banners and signs calling for an end to the martial law and the impeachment of the president. The outrage was primarily due to the fact that martial law is similar to authoritarian rule, which many South Koreans still remember from the years prior to 1987, when the country shifted to democracy for the first time. Members of the country's major political parties also rushed to the parliament building to sort out the situation. Soldiers had been deployed across the area to keep protestors away from the building, forcing some lawmakers to fight through crowds of people.

During the meeting, lawmakers questioned President Yoon's decision to impose martial law, including members of his own party who were puzzled and angry over his declaration. After a brief discussion, the South Korean parliament voted unanimously, 190-0, to rescind the order for martial law, which the president is required to comply with.

However, Yoon Suk Yeol is not exactly the most popular of all South Korean presidents. He won a close election in 2022 and has been caught up in several scandals since then, including one which accused both him and his wife of interfering in the nomination process of his right-wing political party, the People Power Party. Polls showed his approval ratings dropping below 20% after the alleged scandal.

Then, in April, his conservative party lost South Korea's parliament majority to the Democratic Party, which is more liberal. Currently, the Democratic Party holds 170 of the parliament's 300 seats, compared to the People Power Party's mere 108. This has led to a deadlock in the South Korean government, as Yoon Suk Yeol cannot pass any conservative-oriented laws due to the liberal nature of the parliament. This deadlock has led to extreme frustration on the president's part, as he has not been able to achieve his primary goals, such as lowering taxes and relaxing rules on businesses.

Unfortunately for Yoon, this impromptu declaration of martial law has not helped his approval ratings, and it has led to problems for his entire government. The president's chief of staff and at least 10 other secretaries have resigned after the fiasco, and his opposition parties are threatening to initiate the impeachment process if he does not resign as well. The defense minister is also being told to step down, as he was the one who instructed the president to impose martial law in the first place.

Also, South Korea's largest labor union, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), called on its staggering 1.2 million members to go on strike indefinitely, and it will continue until President Yoon Suk Yeol steps down.

Whether he will step down or not is still unknown, though, meaning that the South Korean government could enter a period of turmoil over the next few weeks if opposition parties begin the impeachment process.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The Sun loses around 4.7 million tons of mass as energy every second due to the nuclear fusion happening in the star's core.

Quote of the Day: Trust is the glue that holds people together and is the lubricant that keeps an organization moving forward. (Colin Powell)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Eschew (verb)- To eschew something is to avoid it, especially because you do not think it is right, proper, or practical.

In a Sentence: Their teacher was known as a Luddite because he eschewed the use of smartphones and tablets in the classroom.