Social media erupts over six hours of martial law as citizens stay vigilant despite outrage
Helicopters carrying martial law soldiers land at the National Assembly in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, with troops breaking through the building's windows on Wednesday. Live broadcasts of the situation were also streaming on YouTube after President Yoon Suk Yeol abruptly declared martial law. Yonhap, Newsis
By KTimes
Son Ah-reum, a 24-year-old college student, could hardly believe her eyes when she read a post on the student-only online community "Everytime," claiming that President Yoon Suk Yeol had mentioned martial law. "It's a term I had only seen in history textbooks," she said, admitting her initial skepticism.
The process of martial law being declared late on Tuesday night and then lifted by early dawn the next day unfolded rapidly across social media platforms. Son stayed awake until 3 a.m., meticulously verifying the facts.
"I kept watching online forums and media YouTube channels to confirm the truth. At first, I was overwhelmed with anxiety, but as I followed the updates, I realized I had to witness and remember everything myself," she said.
The late-night martial law incident was resolved within six hours through a parliamentary vote. Unlike 45 years ago, the hyperconnected media landscape of today allowed the news to spread like wildfire. Citizens, despite their weariness, closely monitored the unfolding events with bloodshot eyes.
At 10:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Yoon announced martial law in an emergency briefing. Even before news outlets issued breaking reports, the announcement had already gone viral on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and various online communities.
Citizens cheer in front of the main gate of the National Assembly in the early hours of Wednesday, after the resolution demanding the lifting of President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law passed in a parliamentary session. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Lee, a 27-year-old office worker, said, "I first learned about it when friends shared posts in our KakaoTalk group chat."
The images of helicopters carrying martial law soldiers landing on the National Assembly in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, and troops breaking through the windows of the building was broadcast live on YouTube.
Prominent politicians, including main opposition Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung, who has 1.1 million YouTube subscribers, streamed their journey to the National Assembly. Speaker Woo Won-shik also broadcast the parliamentary session where the lifting of martial law was approved in real time.
Citizens collectively experienced the dramatic sequence of events — from the declaration of martial law to the troop mobilization and the eventual parliamentary vote to rescind it.
Some citizens, after watching the videos, headed to Yeouido themselves to support lawmakers entering the Assembly or to physically block military intervention. International outlets, including the Associated Press, described the incident as a "midnight political drama."
Martial law soldiers break windows while attempting to enter the National Assembly, Wednesday. Courtesy of National Assembly Secretariat
Fake news debunked swiftly by watchful citizens
Misinformation about martial law quickly surfaced but was just as rapidly debunked. Images circulated online purportedly showed a news ticker warning of "random inspections and arrests for movement after 11 p.m." and an armored vehicle near Sadang Station on Line 2 of the Seoul Metro.
However, eagle-eyed internet users acting as fact-checkers confirmed the images were fake — the former was a doctored photo, and the latter was from a past military training exercise.
This response starkly contrasted with the 1970s, when martial law declarations were unilaterally presented by the regime through compliant media.
Kim, a 26-year-old office worker, said, "With so many deepfakes and artificial intelligence-generated content these days, I find myself doubting everything even more."
Despite the shocking nature of the incident, which seemed unthinkable in a democratic country in 2024, experts say the advanced media environment enabled citizens to respond calmly.
Seen are posts on X where social media users fact check and debunk fake news. Yonhap
"In the past, when traditional media outlets were the sole source of information, a regime declaring martial law could tighten its grip on the press, leaving citizens in the dark," said Choi Jin-bong, a professor of communication at Sungkonghoe University. "But today, with abundant information accessible, people can reasonably anticipate outcomes, such as the National Assembly resolving the issue."
Choi Kyung-jin, an honorary director of the Media Human Rights Center and a former journalism scholar, said, "In the past, it was easy to block communication channels. Now, anyone can share any piece of information, making the situation entirely different."
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.