Can someone smart explain what is happening in South Korea & their government

[irisblue]

I am late to the news images

[questionseverything]

1. Their president tried to impose martial law

Parliament said no, troops smashed into parliament… after about an hour and a half president recanted but now parliament and crowds of protesters want him out

[kerry-is-my-prez]

4. He was pissed off at Parliament. Now many people are demanding he resign.

It has been classified as a three hour coup. He was trying to “take over” the Parliment. He was unpopular, a right winger and an autocrat. They are supposed to be a democracy. They’re saying that autocracy is growing in the world. We’re not the only country. The U.S. could be next having the military take over.

[questionseverything]

5. The news i was watching said there was a lot of talk of his wife's actions

Something about a handbag/ bribe & he just didn’t have the experience for any of it

[questionseverything]

2. Whoops, I missed the smart part of the request

[EverHopeful]

3. I'm not claiming to be smart but found this article helpful

It's from The Atlantic and this link is supposed to be how I can gift it (as I said, I'm not claiming to be smart, hope the link works)

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2024/12/south-korea-martial-law/680864/?gift=Dg604QyZ-_9n-X5wEEw47FIIGjME3uCNA6BHZDXpy6A&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

[AltairIV]

7. Thank you.

Thanks for sharing the article, highly informative. Hope your holidays offer a small respite from all the doom and gloom.

[SorellaLaBefana]

6. Historian Heather Cox Richardson did in her post yesterday

For an astonishing six hours today, South Korea underwent an attempted self-coup by its unpopular president, Yoon Suk Yeol, only to see the South Korean people force him to back down as they reasserted the strength of their democracy.

In an emergency address at nearly 11:00 last night local time, Yoon announced that he was declaring martial law in South Korea for the first time since 1980, when special forces under a military dictatorship attacked pro-democracy activists in the city of Gwangju, leaving about 200 people dead or missing. South Koreans ended military rule in their country in 1987, writing a new constitution that made South Korea a republic.

Yoon claimed he had to declare martial law because his political opponents were sympathizing with communist North Korea. It was a thin pretext.

A member of the conservative People’s Party, Yoon was elected to a five-year presidential term in 2022 after a misogynistic campaign fueled by young men who saw equal rights for women— whose average monthly wage is 67.7% of that a man, according to the BBC’s Laura Bicker—as reverse discrimination that is taking away their own rights and opportunities...

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/december-3-2024

[LetMyPeopleVote]

8. SUMMARY OF THE CRAZY EVENTS IN SOUTH KOREA:

This incident is truly strange

Link to tweet

1) The president of South Korea expected an impeachment from the opposition.

2) To prevent that, he declared martial law banning all political activity!

3) The Korean army came and closed off the parliament to prevent MPs to come in and vote!

4) Korean MPs climbed over the fence and made their way to the parliament, breaching the block!

5) The special forces tried to storm the parliament, to stop the “political activity”

6) The parliament was as able to vote, and they voted unanimously to lift the martial law and lift all restrictions!

7) The army not know what to do first, decided to abide by the parliament and left!

8) Martial law will remain in place in South Korea until the president issues a decree to lift it.

The president is constitutionally obliged to lift martial law after a decision by parliament.

9) The South Korean president is expected to be arrested and impeached, according to media reports.

-> The opposition and the people won, by sneaking into the parliament and voting!

[jmowreader]

9. Nothing that hasn't happened before

South Korea's government has always been kind of a shitshow. There have been several coups and martial law declarations since the start of the Korean War. The dictator running the ROK when I was stationed there, Chun, Doo-hwan, got his job by having the previous dictator, Park, Chung-hee, whacked at a dinner party.

I had to brief Chun, Doo-hwan once while I was stationed there. After it was over my battalion commander came up to me: "Did you kinda get the feeling President Chun was going to pull out a pistol and kill us all if he heard something he didn't like - because I sure did."

[PeaceWave]

10. What happened? South Korea's President showed Trump how NOT to stage a coup d'etat...

Doubtless, Trump paid close attention.