The president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, has declared martial law.
In an unannounced late night television address he says the move is necessary to protect the country from North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements.
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What the actual fuck
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Holy 
. This is not good.
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Reading the Al Jazeera report, it sounds like a political move to secure power, nothing to do with Best Korea.
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ditto
“The National Assembly, which should be the basis of liberal democracy, has become a monster that collapses the liberal democracy system,” he added.
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Bloody hell! I didn’t have this one on my bingo card. What is going on?!?
Guy
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President is corrupt and misses the “good ole days” of the 70s and early 80s when South Korea was ruled by an anti-democratic dictatorship. Hope there’s a bloodless coup and he’s toppled. Very scary stuff.
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A bit late for that, but still hope army does not fight back
WATCH: South Korean President Yoon gives address to joint session of U.S. Congress | PBS News
Yoon was very pro USA a few months back.
The FAFO era has arrived in earnest.
POking the bear:
Yoon’s visit to Washington has focused on efforts by both countries and other allies in the Indo-Pacific to make their forces stronger, more nimble, better positioned and more resilient in the event of any conflict in the region.
On Wednesday, Yoon and President Joe Biden announced an agreement for intensified nuclear deterrence to counter any North Korean threat. Biden issued a blunt warning that a nuclear attack would “result in the end of whatever regime” took such action.
North Korea over the past year has carried out a record number of ballistic missile launches, demonstrating its ability to strike targets near and far.
WATCH: Biden and Yoon unveil joint nuclear deterrence plan
The U.S.-South Korean deterrence effort announced this week calls for periodically docking U.S. nuclear-armed submarines in South Korea for the first time in decades and bolstering training between the two countries.
The Biden administration’s aim in improving the allies’ military readiness in the region is not just to deter North Korea but to discourage and defend against any threats from China, which is also a growing security concern. That concern focuses at present on any possible move against the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.
Quick summary for those who are looking for it:
On December 3, 2024, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law during a late-night televised address, marking the first such declaration since 1980. He cited the need to eradicate “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces” and accused the opposition Democratic Party (DP) of paralyzing the government and sympathizing with North Korea.
The declaration led to immediate and significant repercussions:
Political Response: Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung condemned the move as “illegal and unconstitutional,” urging citizens to rally at the National Assembly.
Economic Impact: The South Korean won depreciated sharply against the U.S. dollar, and the stock market experienced declines, reflecting investor concerns over the country’s political stability.
Public Reaction: Protests erupted, with citizens expressing fears of a return to authoritarian rule reminiscent of past military regimes.
President Yoon justified the imposition of martial law by pointing to the opposition’s attempts to impeach top prosecutors and their rejection of the government’s budget proposal, actions he claimed threatened the nation’s constitutional order.
This development has raised concerns both domestically and internationally about the future of democracy in South Korea and the potential for escalating political tensions.
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Democracy is precious
It kind of looks like someone is intentionally making a mess before they leave the office. 
It’s also hit the T$, lower tonight, maybe out flows to USA$ and to Yen/euro. yen is up even more than US$
On a side note, I was going to book a flight back from Europe/EE back via Korea, may now via the Mainland/HKG, almost bought the ticket just before dinner.
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China also expected to ramp up war games with Lai travelling abroad. More uncertainty = NOT GOOD.
Guy
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This isn’t looking great.
Seems to me like the president is disappointed with his term and has thrown his toys in a desperate attempt to get his name in the history books (which is all what politicians really want, that and a statue, probably)
Besides, let’s hope it’s just a weird flurry and it’s over in a day or two.
Here comes the AI-generated fake news, photos and speculation from the content mills!
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Yeah his approval rating has been abysmal for a bit now:
Perhaps this was a desperate attempt to shore up more power? Seems to be have been a catastrophic flop, as parliament just shot down the martial law order unanimously 190-0. Hoping that will put a cork in it and this situation won’t spiral any further.
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Not at all. He’s deeply unpopular. He has no cult of personality. The people and army will turn on him and he’ll be deposed by the end of the week, is my bet. The army will not obey an order to shoot on the public or anything crazy like that.
With all those US troops there, extremely unlikely the CIA or other alphabet agencies didn’t see this coming, or perhaps even nudged him to do it.
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