Overview

The 2024 South Korea Martial Law Declaration refers to the declaration of martial law in South Korea by President Yoon Suk Yeol in early December 2024, which he said was necessary to protect the country from North Korea's communist forces and anti-state elements. The martial law sparked public protests and was promptly blocked by the South Korean parliament. Online, the incident became a viral subject of memes and discussions as it spread on social media platforms.

Background

On December 3rd, 2024, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol declared^[1] martial law in the country in an emergency briefing. During the briefing, Yoon said that he made the decision in order to remove "pro-North Korean elements" and "protect the liberal constitutional order," and that the declaration would allow the military to "maintain public order."

The decision, which was made amid a dispute with opposition parties over next year's budget bill, was described as a political gamble by Yoon, elected in 2022 and considered a lame-duck president who struggled to push his agendas in opposition-controlled parliament.

Following the declaration, the military halted parliamentary activity, while opposition leader Lee Jae-myung called on the public to gather outside the South Korean National Assembly (parliament). The crowd of protesters clashed with police enforcing martial law outside the government building.

Approximately two hours after martial law was enacted, South Korea's parliament voted unanimously 190 to 0 against it, which obliged President Yoon to lift the law. Three hours later on November 4th, Yoon announced that the martial law would be lifted, with the mobilized troops withdrawing.

Online Reactions

The unexpected declaration of martial law in the country became a viral subject of discussions and memes on Western social media. On December 3rd, 2024, X^[2] user @EN33364634 made one of the earliest viral posts about martial law in South Korea, which received over 23,000 reposts and 119,000 likes in one day (shown below).

Later on December 3rd, New York-based South Korean journalist Yejin Gim started a thread providing context for the incident, which received over 85,000 reposts and 352,000 likes on X^[3] in one day.

Various memes about the martial law declaration and follow-up lifting went viral on X / Twitter on December 3rd, 2024. For example, X^[4] user @hyptiot posted a Yeonmi Park on Joe Rogan meme that gained over 2,800 reposts and 31,000 likes in one day (shown below).

Also on December 3rd, X^[5] user @TrueSlazac shared a Me When I Have to Shoot My Dog Because I'm Bored meme that garnered over 1,500 reposts and 26,000 likes in one day (shown below).

Search Interest

External References