The Dec. 3, 2024 events in South Korea should shine as a blueprint for America. If you missed it, buckle up, folks…I’ll try to keep it as succinct as possible.
On Tuesday night in South Korea, a democracy, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in the country. The cause of his call for military rule was unclear, and opposed immediately by citizens and the Korean parliament.
What is martial law?
Martial law substitutes military rule for that of civilian rule.
“When martial law is in effect, the military commander of an area or country has unlimited authority to make and enforce laws. Martial law is justified when civilian authority has ceased to function, is completely absent, or has become ineffective. Further, martial law suspends all existing laws, as well as civil authority and the ordinary administration of justice.” — E.W. Killam from his 1989 paper, “Martial Law in Times of Civil Disorder”
To some degree, the Supreme Court has set boundaries about how the president and state-level officials may deploy the military against U.S. citizens, but there are no guarantees that the president or state officials will comply.
Yoon’s declaration
Yoon’s declaration was read by Gen. Park An-su, martial law commander army chief of staff. I think it is important for ALL Americans to read as well, considering the state of our own politics, and in light of the things Trump has threatened.
“The Command proclaims the following as of 11 p.m. on December 3, 2024, in order to protect free democracy from anti-state forces secretly operating in the free Republic of (South) Korea and their threats over state subversion, as well as public safety.
“1. All political activities, including activities by the National Assembly, regional assemblies and political parties, and political association, rallies and protests, are banned.
“2. All acts that deny the free democratic system or attempt to overthrow the state, as well as dissemination of fake news, manipulation of public opinion and false incitement, are banned.
“3. The press and all publications will be controlled by the Command.
“4. Strikes, slowdowns and rallies that promote social confusion will be banned.
“5. Trainee doctors and all other medical professionals who are engaging in strikes or have walked off their jobs will have to faithfully return to work within 48 hours or face punishment under the Martial Law Act.
“6. Measures will be taken to minimize inconvenience for members of the general public in their daily lives, with the exception of forces seeking to overthrow the state, such as anti-state forces.
“Violators of the decree may face arrest, detention, and warrantless search and seizure in accordance with Article 9 of the Martial Law Act, and they will be punished in line with Article 14 of the Martial Law Act.”
Yoon is unpopular in Korea, however, some Koreans feel that he hasn’t been given a chance, and a least one of my friends in Korea reported being “worried that South Korea’s democracy might collapse because of anti-state forces.”
Yoon has struggled to pass legislation, and in recent elections, his right-wing party suffered big losses.
In declaring martial law, Yoon said that this was in response to North Korean infiltrators, and asked Korean citizens to endure “some inconveniences” for the sake of national stability. He also claimed that “through this martial law, I will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea.”
The immediate result, however, caused destabilization of the Korean government, and a drop in Korean stock and the won value.
Sound familiar?
This rhetoric in many ways, is almost identical to the extreme language we’ve heard from Donald Trump who has vowed to fight against his political enemies. That should alarm every American regardless of party. Martial law doesn’t just apply to a party. Your freedoms are at risk, and you’ll be asked to endure the “hardship” and to trust the military and government.
In South Korea, the parliament took immediate action to remedy the situation, and voted in unison to demand Yoon lift the martial law, but because Yoon is commander in chief, the military did not officially withdraw until instructed by Yoon who realized that he was not going to win on this issue. Yoon has had a controversial presidency and been under threat of impeachment for some time.
The Korean people poured into the streets overnight, and remained in the streets in freezing cold temps throughout night surrounding the parliamentary building in Seoul, and physically blocking police and military vehicles.
The reaction time from the onset of events to the people’s action was minutes. There were no squabbles about small things to delay their actions.
The Korean parliament didn’t pull a Josh Hawley and scramble away from the voting floor. They pushed through the police and got to the voting floor.
The people and parliament knew the assignment.
The thing is, Koreans have been through this before. In May of 1980, martial law was declared by General Chun Doo-Hwan in a coup d’état. Students and citizens in the city of Gwanju fought back against the military the next day but were immediately defeated. Between 600 and 2300 civilians were killed.
That this type of event has happened before in Korea, and that all Korean men are trained by the military, made the response to the Dec. 2024 events that much more precise and swift. A bloodless revolution. Despite this outcome, the Korean parliament and Korean citizens were prepared to fight with their lives as many stated during media interviews.
For Americans watching this, it’s a warning sign to be prepared. The likelihood of a bloodless revolution in the event that Trump or any of his minions attempt anything like this is small. Americans are largely gunholders. More likely than Trump declaring martial law, it could be done at a state-level in support of Trump policies. These same practices in Korea could save a lot of lives.
Americans seemed to have forgotten how revolution works. Previous revolutions should build us up for the next. It’s important that we organize for the much bigger fights that are coming.
Are we ready if we’re placed under martial law?
Currently, no. We’d be quick to take sides and point weapons but, if we’re smart, we’ll look at this event as a model.
South Korea gave us an absolutely perfect blueprint on how to deal with our state and federal governments should we face a similar situation. Study it.
This article appears in Nov 20 – Dec 3, 2024.
