Geopolitical Crisis: How The "Six-Hour Emergency" Has Shifted South Korea

The martial law is over, but the shockwaves are just beginning

Out of nowhere, taking the world by surprise, in the evening hours of Tuesday, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered a televised emergency address to the nation, announcing a state of emergency and imposing martial law on 51.7 million people.

It was the first such declaration in South Korea since 1979, after Park Chung-hee, the third president of South Korea, was assassinated.

But, on December 3rd, there was no political unrest, rapidly spreading virus, or financial collapse, the usual justifications for a state of emergency. Instead, Yoon’s reasoning was largely geopolitical.

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