Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it

apnews.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

351–360 of 739 posts

Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it

#351

Post by jahdG »

The MPs are being locked out from the National Assembly from overturning this coup:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/12/03/south-kore...

For the South Korean population, the proper way to deal with this is a general strike. Do not work unless in absolutely vital sectors.

Koreans here say that this is domestic. Hopefully it is and will be over soon. It is odd however that the U.S. government escalates in Ukraine, there is a new color revolution in Georgia (the country adjacent to Russia), the Syrian rebels launch a major attack and now this.

All of this "coincidentally" makes Trump's peace efforts more difficult. Trump will have to clean up all the fires started by this incompetent or malicious administration.

Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it

#352

Post by JohnBooty »

kube-system wrote: post #291
anon291 wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How so? That may have been true a few years ago during the COVID lockdowns, but as we've recently seen, Americans will often punish that behavior heavily at the poll booth

It wasn't even true then. The COVID lockdowns were child's play compared to the abuses of freedom in the US's past, and they're a mere suggestion compared to the lockdowns in other places around the world. Anyone who thinks the government asking you sternly to "please stay inside" is an abuse of power must have fallen asleep in American history class. Or have never talked to their grandparents about politics in the p…

It is, to put it mildly, highly debatable (and highly debated) that COVID measures were really an abuse of freedom at all.

Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it

#353

Post by aurareturn »

brvsft wrote: post #344
aurareturn wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eight replies to my post and no one has mentioned China yet. Has China been accepted as a "real" enemy? To me, China is the main virtual enemy that politicians trout out to create fear and distraction.

I agree, although it is a "real" enemy in the sense that their ascension is a threat to US hegemony or the idea of the USA as the preeminent world superpower. I don't see it as rational, but there is definitely an argument that the USA ought to remain positioned as number one, having the ability to dictate global politics. I don't think we deserve it, but it's certainly 'better' for us in the sense that it gives us a…

Well said. I don't mind that the US is doing what they're doing. It probably even make sense for the US to work against China. What I don't like is the massive "China bad" propaganda campaign when in reality, it's just jostling for power and economics.

Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it

#355

Post by zelon88 »

dyauspitr wrote: post #290

[flagged]

The paradox is; Society should benefit everyone equally. If it doesn't, then the ones who are not benefiting have a social responsibility to adjust it until it does. By hook or by crook, for better or worse.

Equity is usually pretty difficult to swallow for those who are benefiting inequitably. But the thing is, if it's not working for everyone, it isn't working at all and it should probably be broken the rest of the way and rebuilt.

Sorry if you're in the camp that doesn't think anything is broken, but if this many people think it is then maybe you're wrong. At the very least don't pretend to be surprised when the people at the bottom lack any reason to defend your place on top.

Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it

#356

Post by jmyeet »

xyst wrote: post #308
jmyeet wrote: post #173

South Korea is dying. It has the lowest birth rate in the world: ~0.78 children per woman. If you want to know what that means, take 100 people (50 men, 50 women). In 3 generations there are... 6 people. That's population collapse. Every developed nation is barreling towards this fate. It's what end stage capitalism and 5 chaebols-in-a-trenchcoat as a government looks like. The only thing preventing population collap…

[flagged]

[flagged]

Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it

#357

Post by tootie »

alephnerd wrote: post #6
cuuupid wrote: post #4

Can 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?

Massive deal. South Korea is a new democracy and sudden impositions of martial law harken back to the 1970s-80s when military rule existed. Best case, this is a blatant attempt at a self coup d'etat. Worst case, North Korea actually engaged in war.

S Korea was a laggard in the years after the war and their economy was modernized by a militaristic authoritarian government. The military authority was harsh but effective and only gave way to democracy in 1988. There is still a lot of sympathy for the authoritarian era.

Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it

#358

Post by tootie »

iambateman wrote: post #92

The article points out that even some in his own party have denounced the move. I’m no expert but I find it hard to believe there’s much pro-PRK sympathy in Seoul among a major political party. Considering this is making western news, it seems the president has over-played his hand. Hopefully this passes quickly.

CNN is reporting that parliament has successfully overturned martial law.

Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it

#359

Post by kube-system »

JohnBooty wrote: post #352
kube-system wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It wasn't even true then. The COVID lockdowns were child's play compared to the abuses of freedom in the US's past, and they're a mere suggestion compared to the lockdowns in other places around the world. Anyone who thinks the government asking you sternly to "please stay inside" is an abuse of power must have fallen asleep in American history class. Or have never talked to their grandparents about politics in the p…

It is, to put it mildly, highly debatable (and highly debated) that COVID measures were really an abuse of freedom at all.

Agreed. Laws that protect people from harm by others, intentionally or recklessly, protect the freedom of innocent people.

Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it

#360

Post by sandworm101 »

echoangle wrote: post #257
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> if the opposition is controlling the parliament, isn't that the majority and isn't the opposition controlling the president? You're confusing prime ministers in parliamentary democracies, e.g. the UK with presidents [1]. [1] https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-betwee...

The point still stands, if you control the parliament, aren’t you the majority and the other side is the opposition? Or how is it defined who is the opposition?

The opposition is whoever is not in power. Anyone complaining about being locked out is clearly not in power, making them the de facto oppposition party regardless of official labels.
Post reply on HN