Wednesday, December 18
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Indianapolis Liberation Center
How and why did South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol declare martial law in December? What has happened since? Aren’t we taught that South Korea is “free” while North Korea is an “oppressive dictatorship?”
Organizers and researchers with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Nodutdol for Korean Community Development, ANSWER Indiana, and Korea University (Tokyo) invite you to discuss these recent developments, their historical context, the role of the U.S. state and anti-war movement, and more. Hear first-hand accounts from organizers in the Korean peace movement and contribute to a lively discussion about these key topics that are either absent from or severely distorted in the mainstream media.
Yoon’s martial law declaration comes after repeated attacks on labor and other progressive forces, increased military provocations against North Korea (DPRK, or the Democratic Republic of Korea), and his commitment to strengthening alliances with U.S. and Japanese imperialism.
Marching soldiers and military vehicles to block the National Assembly, his attempt to repress workers and other opposition forces is an echo of the military dictatorships that ruled the southern half of Korea after its division at the end of World War II.
Cycles of intense repression and resistance have characterized the period following the official implementation of “democracy” in South Korea. Former President Park Guen-hye, for example, used the court system to dissolve the Unified People’s Party, jail its leadership (including its government representatives), ransack their homes, and destroy their offices to dismantle the various left-wing and progressive forces in the country. Park, whose father was the U.S.-backed dictator of South Korea from 1961-1979, severely repressed pro-democratic forces. She was overthrown by the “Candlelight Revolution” of 2016-2017.
Similarly, days after Yoon failed to establish martial law, impeachment proceedings started. The initial vote didn’t pass, but lawmakers and the people remain undeterred.
How and why did Yoon’s attempt to seize power happen? What can explain the ongoing lack of free speech and basic human rights in what we are told is the “good” part of Korea? Most importantly, why should those of us in the U.S. care, and what can we do about it?
Featured photo: A South Korean peace and reunification march in June 2016. Credit: Indianapolis Liberation Center.
