Transparent coup d'etat attempt rumored to happen for months. The only option when the mouse is cornered. Approval rating in the <10% range, Japan whispering in his ear and pulling the puppet strings, crazy selfish wife abusing state resources, it is almost comically predictable if not for how serious it is. North Korea is always the convenient excuse... only hope Westerners don't get fooled by the rhetoric. Guy digging his own grave, only hope Koreans get off their complacent asses and take this guy down quickly. World cannot afford more instability.
South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
11–20 of 739 posts
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#12[flagged]
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#13Can someone ELI5 if this is a huge deal (like declaring martial law would be in the west), or if this is the equivalent of a "government shutdown" when similar budget impasses occur in the US?
Almost everyone in Korea is completely shocked, including most people who voted for him in the presedential elections. This is in a country where no one bats an eye even when sirens go off.
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#14Great, all the world needs is yet more instability.
Any guesses on market reactions here? Are component prices going to get worse?
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#15Can someone ELI5 if this is a huge deal (like declaring martial law would be in the west), or if this is the equivalent of a "government shutdown" when similar budget impasses occur in the US?
Martial law typically involves the suspension of ordinary law and the imposition of direct military control, which for a relatively fresh democracy like South Korea doesn't sound like a nothing-burger exactly.
Makes me think of the Gwangju Uprising in 80s, which happened after martial law was instated, after a military dictator was put in place. IIRC, the US was also involved with the newly installed military junta.
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
Please elaborate for those without context. Would be much appreciated.
a quick internet search reveals this refers to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwangju_Uprising
Interesting, I don't remember learning or hearing about this one.
> While the South Korean government claimed 165 people were killed in the massacre, scholarship on the massacre today estimates 600 to 2,300 victims.
Just for the sake of it, compared it to the widely known chinese tiananmen square massacre, albeit this one has widely varying figures on wikipedia:
> The Chinese Red Cross had given a figure of 2,600 deaths but later denied having given such a figure.[16][17] The Swiss Ambassador had estimated 2,700. Beijing hospital records compiled shortly after the events recorded at least 478 dead and 920 wounded. ...etc
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#17[flagged]
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#18[flagged]
This is very likely done for his own domestic reasons, unrelated to NK.
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#19It's a very brief news article but this caught my eye:
"He has also been dismissing calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife and top officials"
Well, there's a standard motive.
And, if there's two things that seems constant in conservative politics, it's that they don't want anything to change (by defintion of 'conservative'), and they do seem to be forever embroiled in accusations of corruption.
And they never look trustworthy, for what that's worth. Perhaps it is as I understand that a lifetime of being lousy to other human beings shows on one's face, in one's voice, and is evident in one's lack of happiness.
We all reap what we sow, for ill or good, and apparently the vast majority of people that seek power generally do so for selfish, greedy reasons.
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#20[flagged]
[flagged]