Unpredictable overnight martial law infuriates citizens

Citizens and civil society organizations were outraged by President Yoon's declaration of emergency martial law. Calls for his resignation and impeachment have intensified. Organizations issued a series of critical statements and comments on December 3 and 4.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) issued a statement saying, “The KCTU and all the people of this land will declare the end of Yoon Suk-yeol with this martial law.“In the face of a crisis of power, Yoon has confirmed his anti-democratic dictatorship through the unconventional and anti-democratic measure of martial law. The people will not forgive him for this.”

The public transportation union, the Democratic Trade Union Confederation, said it would go ahead with the five-day strike as planned. “We will continue our strike against the regime that has declared martial law,” the public transportation union said in a statement, “and we will not give in to the unjustified emergency martial law.”

The Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union (KPTU) said, “We will continue to carry out the strike against the regime that has declared the martial law. We will not give in to the unjustifiable emergency martial law.”

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions said on the 4th that “all Koreans are bewildered by this unbelievable situation of emergency martial law in the Republic of Korea in 2024. Webelieve that President Yoon has crossed a river of no return.”

The Korea Broadcasters' Union, the Democratic Trade Union Confederation, the Journalists Association of Korea, the Korea Broadcasting Engineers & Technicians Association, the Korean Directors of Photography Society, the Korean Broadcasting Photographers' Association, the Korean Photojournalists Association, and the Korean Video Journalists Association also issued a joint statement.

“This is an outrageous act of anti-democracy, anti-history, and anti-freedom that denies the half-century of historical achievements of democracy and press freedom paid for with the blood of the entire nation and the spirit of the Sixth Republic's constitution,” the organizations said in a statement. It called the declaration of martial law to control the media a “declaration of war against all the people to control the critical media and political opponents, as well as the fundamental rights and sovereignty of the people.”

“Yoon's declaration of martial law is a challenge to our blood-bought democracy, which the people will never tolerate,” the organization said in a commentary. “Yoon, who is trying to destroy Korea's democracy and constitutional order to secure his power, can no longer be called the president of Korea.”

The Lawyers for a Democratic Society (MINBYUN) called for his resignation. “We call on the National Assembly to hold President Yoon strictly accountable,” said Yoon Bok-nam, chairman of the group. “President Yoon, who abused his power to turn citizens who criticize him into anti-state forces, should resign himself.”

The medical community protested the president's declaration of martial law to punish “striking doctors.

In Decree No. 1, the martial law command said, “All medical personnel who are on strike or who have left the medical field, including residents, must return to work within 48 hours and fulfill their duties, and any violations will be dealt with by martial law.”

The emergency committee of professors at Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital said, “Medical personnel who have resigned are not considered to be ‘on strike or abandoning the site’ because their contracts with their previous employers have been terminated,” and “therefore, the martial law doesn’t apply to them.” The Korean Medical Association (KMA) also issued a statement regarding the medical staff work order, stating that none of the resigned doctors are currently on strike.

The sudden declaration of emergency martial law enraged citizens. People gathered in front of the National Assembly. “It is nonsensical,” said Mr. Jung, a Yonsei University student who met in front of the main gate of the National Assembly. Even if the National Assembly passes the demand to lift the state of emergency, the military will push forward, so I came out to show my support. We will stay until the end of the day. We must protest until it is completely lifted and ended.”

“I don't agree with the regime's judgment that it's an emergency,” said Mr. Jung (44), adding, “I rushed out because I don't think we can sit back.”

After the parliamentary resolution to lift the ban, one citizen said, “This is not the end. We need to impeach Yoon Suk-yeol,” another said. Many citizens were baffled. “I never thought I would hear about martial law on the news,” said Mr. Kim (37), a resident of Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, adding, “It's hard to fathom what the intention of declaring martial law is.”

Others expressed concern and fear about the military forces deployed through the city. “When I saw a picture of a tank heading toward Nakseong Station on social media, I was worried that a really dangerous situation had been triggered,” said Mr. Yoon (34), adding, “The government should clearly give an answer to the chaos across the country.”

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.