The difference between Jan. 6 and Dec. 3
Published: 08 Dec. 2024, 19:26
KIM HYOUNG-GU
The author is the Washington bureau chief of the JoongAng Ilbo.
CNN Newsnight, hosted by Abby Phillip at 10 p.m. on weekdays, has a segment called World Crises, reporting on various dangerous situations around the world such as wars, natural disasters and stock market crashes. On Dec. 3, “South Korea martial law chaos” was the first topic of the segment, followed by the civil war in Syria and the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. No one would have expected to hear news of martial law in Korea, shamefully referred to as “the shortest and most bizarre martial law in the world.”
The scene of martial law troops armed with rifles breaking the window of the National Assembly’s main building was repeatedly shown on CNN all day. The anchors reminded the viewers, “This is South Korea, not North Korea.” This was the first time in my one and half years as a Washington correspondent that I felt embarrassed while watching television in the office.
The surreal development that lasted six hours from the president’s declaration of martial law in the middle of the night, the National Assembly approving a resolution calling to lift the martial law and the president’s acceptance profoundly shocked Washington. Local sources asked me whether my colleagues in Korea were safe, and a Congress official was curious why the armed soldiers stormed into the National Assembly and whether the legislature’s decision would take effect.
The highlight of the “shameful” experience was bringing up the Jan. 6 Capitol attack that took place in Washington D.C. three years ago. The world was shocked when Trump supporters refused to believe the 2020 presidential election results and stormed into the Capitol to interfere with Congress ratifying the election results.
American media found similarities between emergency martial law in Korea and Jan. 6, as both encouraged violence to attain political goals and resulted in a crisis for democracy. But there is a fundamental difference we must not take for granted. In the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, the protestors targeted Congress to overthrow democracy, and the police blocked them. In contrast, military authorities attempted to neutralize the parliament in Korea, and the citizens rose to defend the assembly of the people.
Korea is supposed to be the most exemplary democracy in East Asia. The abrupt emergency martial law instantly ruined the hard-earned national credibility in one swift blow. The White House did say that the incident showed Korean democracy is still strong and resilient. Once again, the people restored the constitutional order critically disturbed by their political leader.
The author is the Washington bureau chief of the JoongAng Ilbo.
CNN Newsnight, hosted by Abby Phillip at 10 p.m. on weekdays, has a segment called World Crises, reporting on various dangerous situations around the world such as wars, natural disasters and stock market crashes. On Dec. 3, “South Korea martial law chaos” was the first topic of the segment, followed by the civil war in Syria and the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. No one would have expected to hear news of martial law in Korea, shamefully referred to as “the shortest and most bizarre martial law in the world.”
The scene of martial law troops armed with rifles breaking the window of the National Assembly’s main building was repeatedly shown on CNN all day. The anchors reminded the viewers, “This is South Korea, not North Korea.” This was the first time in my one and half years as a Washington correspondent that I felt embarrassed while watching television in the office.
The surreal development that lasted six hours from the president’s declaration of martial law in the middle of the night, the National Assembly approving a resolution calling to lift the martial law and the president’s acceptance profoundly shocked Washington. Local sources asked me whether my colleagues in Korea were safe, and a Congress official was curious why the armed soldiers stormed into the National Assembly and whether the legislature’s decision would take effect.
The highlight of the “shameful” experience was bringing up the Jan. 6 Capitol attack that took place in Washington D.C. three years ago. The world was shocked when Trump supporters refused to believe the 2020 presidential election results and stormed into the Capitol to interfere with Congress ratifying the election results.
American media found similarities between emergency martial law in Korea and Jan. 6, as both encouraged violence to attain political goals and resulted in a crisis for democracy. But there is a fundamental difference we must not take for granted. In the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, the protestors targeted Congress to overthrow democracy, and the police blocked them. In contrast, military authorities attempted to neutralize the parliament in Korea, and the citizens rose to defend the assembly of the people.
Korea is supposed to be the most exemplary democracy in East Asia. The abrupt emergency martial law instantly ruined the hard-earned national credibility in one swift blow. The White House did say that the incident showed Korean democracy is still strong and resilient. Once again, the people restored the constitutional order critically disturbed by their political leader.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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