Link to article: https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-yoon-martial-law-detain-8dd7f03661be39729741de9a3b5d1714
The South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, declared martial law and deployed troops around the National Assembly on December 3rd. It lasted only hours before lawmakers managed to get through the blockade and vote to lift the measure. The opposition-led assembly voted to impeach him on rebellion charges on December 14th. On January 15th, Yoon was sent to a detention center near Seoul after being questioned by anti-corruption officials who took him into custody. In a video message recorded shortly before he was escorted to the headquarters of the anti-corruption agency, Yoon said the “rule of law has completely collapsed in this country…I am truly appalled to see illegalities upon illegalities upon illegalities being carried out and procedures being forcefully conducted under an invalid warrant.” Following Yoon’s detention, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok met with diplomats from the Group of Seven nations, including the United States, Japan, the U.K. and Germany, as well as the representative of the European Union, to reassure them that the government was functioning with stability.
This article is important because it shows the extent to which the South Korean government is taking seriously the martial law declaration and they are doing everything they can to investigate it. It is important because the government is also trying to project that they are still a stable nation to their allies by meeting with the Group of Seven nations.
This article relates to what we learned in class because the idea of actions being taken by one country will have major effects on all other countries, and forces other countries to step in and ensure stability in the region in order to protect their interests. This is why the South Korean government felt the need to meet with their allies and reassure them of their strength.