Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
A year after martial law scare, Koreans recall shock, call for safeguards
By Bahk Eun-ji, Lee Hae-rin, Anna J. Park
Accountability for ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol divides nation
Nearly a year has passed since then President Yoon Suk Yeol abruptly declared martial law, plunging the country into confusion.
Many Koreans say the memory still feels unreal. In interviews with The Korea Times, people of all ages described their initial reactions as disbelief, fear or sheer bewilderment. Most said they remain unconvinced by the justification offered for such an extraordinary measure.
Kim Ja-min, a 25-year-old student in Busan, said he was studying for an exam in his dormitory lounge when an alert appeared on his phone.
“At first, I thought it must be fake,” he said, adding that he could not believe that something he had only ever read about in history textbooks was happening in real time.
A consultant in her 30s said she considered the declaration “unimaginable in this era,” arguing that a leader’s political frustrations could not justify a decision that had such a profound impact on financial markets and people’s lives.
A woman in her 60s said her first thought was simply, “Why martial law?” She could not fathom what could possibly justify it.
Others recounted the experience in more personal terms.
Hong, 36, a corporate employee, said he froze after putting his child to bed and seeing the alert, immediately worrying about the following morning. Kim, a Seoul-based lawyer in her 40s, said she awoke to the news, baffled that such an extreme measure could be taken without warning.
Between ‘inevitable’ and ‘excessive’
Most respondents said they viewed impeachment as the inevitable outcome of what they saw as an unjustified use of emergency powers.
Park Seung-wook, a 28-year-old office worker from Daegu, described the declaration as “a form of rebellion” and said impeachment felt appropriate.
Kim Ja-min, the student from Busan, said he followed the proceedings anxiously and believed Yoon’s removal from office was necessary once martial law had been declared.
But several respondents disagreed, arguing that the process had gone too far.
Kim, a 54-year-old self-employed businessman, argued that the situation did not justify impeachment and that political infighting caused greater harm by paralyzing state functions and forcing a rushed election.
A 65-year-old academic said on condition of anonymity that she believed martial law fell within the president’s constitutional authority and that impeachment seemed excessive at the time.
Kim, the lawyer, said she could not understand why impeachment was chosen when “other options may have existed,” adding that the subsequent political transition left her unable to support any of the presidential candidates.
People chant slogans during a rally supporting the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol in Jongno District, Seoul, April 4. Korea Times photo by Choi Joo-yeon
Accountability vs. unity
Opinions also diverged sharply on how the former president and officials involved in the incident should be held accountable. Some demanded strong punishment, including prison sentences without the possibility of pardon.
Hong, the corporate employee, said some officials might merit prison terms “without political forgiveness,” while Kim Ja-min argued that the episode should not be framed as a matter of social reconciliation.
Others urged restraint.
Kwon, 42, a corporate professional, said accountability must not turn into a “witch hunt.” And Kim, the self-employed businessman, argued that the country needs to consider social unity rather than relying solely on criminal punishment.
Meanwhile, Kim, the lawyer, said punishment should depend on the court’s assessment of whether the officials’ claims had any substantive validity; if the court concluded that the action was taken for personal gain, she said a far harsher sentence would be appropriate.
Some younger respondents added that, while they supported holding officials accountable, they could understand why others might favor leniency in a deeply polarized country seeking to avoid further national division.
Many respondents described the country as still unsettled a year after the incident, and months after the impeachment and election that followed.
Kim, the lawyer, said the political landscape felt “one-sided and messy,” adding that a healthy society required a more balanced representation of progressives and conservatives.
Kim, the self-employed businessman, said that although diplomacy under the current administration appears relatively stable, domestic politics and the economy remain “in disarray.”
Supporters of former President Yoon Suk Yeol wave Korean and American national flags during a rally opposing his impeachment near the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, Seoul, April 4. Korea Times photo by Nam Dong-gyun
Preventing another crisis
Despite their differing views on the past, the respondents spoke with near unanimity about what is required to prevent similar crises in the future. Many called for revisions to legislation governing martial law, arguing that emergency powers should only be invoked in the event of clear and compelling justification.
Jung Soo-jin, a 25-year-old kindergarten teacher, said the experience showed that the law itself needed to be amended so that officials would not be placed in a position where they would have to follow a problematic declaration.
Kim Ja-min also argued that the rules surrounding martial law should be tightened so that it becomes significantly harder to take such a step.
Others emphasized education.
Office worker Park said that public officials and military personnel should receive more rigorous training to ensure they understand the limits of their authority and the principles of democratic governance.
Several interviewees said that political parties need to regain a sense of restraint, adding that a heated partisan climate helped create the conditions for the crisis.
The 65-year-old academic said that the most important thing was whether the National Assembly could be trusted, and that it was crucial to choose lawmakers who could keep the presidency in check.
Another respondent said that the media should carry a wider range of viewpoints to help prevent the kind of distortion that could enable similar events in the future.
As the one-year mark of Yoon’s martial law declaration approaches, citizens remain divided in their interpretations of what happened, but share the hope that the country’s institutions will be strengthened enough to ensure such a moment never happens again.