Global Economic Times

The Essence of the Dec. 3 Martial Law: The Deception of 'National Security' and the Violation of the Constitutional Order for Private Interest: KO YONG-CHUL Reporter / Updated : 2026-05-18 04:05:58

On the deep night of December 3, 2024, South Korea ground to a halt, facing an unprecedented shock. The anachronistic declaration of "emergency martial law" and the sound of military boots crossing the walls of the National Assembly made citizens doubt their ears, causing the heartbeat of democracy to fluctuate violently. At the time, the regime put forward grandiose pretexts such as "national security" and "the eradication of anti-state forces." However, as time passes and the substantive truth is revealed through judicial trials, it is becoming eloquently clear that the decision of that day was by no means for the people or the nation. The December 3 martial law was not a desperate decision made in agony to overcome a national crisis; rather, it was nothing more than an extreme defense mechanism that instrumentalized the constitutional order to protect the personal safety of just two individuals: Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee.

The testimonies emerging from the ongoing trials and investigations related to the incident consistently point to a single direction. The actual motivation behind the declaration of martial law was not to rescue the community from external threats. Instead, it is being proven piece by piece that it was a private escape hatch to break free from various suspicions, investigations, and a political dead end that were tightening the noose around the regime.

First, this was a blatant "attempt to neutralize investigations." In a tense situation where the pressure of various special counsel bills and the dragnet of investigations were closing in on the presidential couple, the trials are revealing a cowardly attempt to cover up their "evils" and illegal circumstances by temporarily suspending the functions of the judiciary and the legislature. Second, the "privatization of power" reached its peak. Mobilizing the public resources of the national military solely for the personal safety and defense of the individual ruler is a textbook example of abuse of power that can never be tolerated in a modern democratic state. The moment the sacred authority bestowed by the Constitution degenerated into a "private shield" to cover the flaws of specific individuals, the rule of law vanished.

In a newspaper column, which is a forum for public discourse, it is customary to avoid emotionally charged expressions such as "ugliness" or "evil." However, witnessing this incident, it is difficult to find more accurate words to pierce through its essence. The facts revealed through the trials show that the martial law was not the product of a meticulous national security strategy, but a desperate means of concealment chosen out of fear that their corruption and irregularities would be exposed to the whole world.

It is ironic in itself that the president, who should be the ultimate bastion for defending the Constitution and ensuring the continuity of the state, instead chose martial law as a tool to destroy the Constitution. What he sought to protect was neither South Korea's democracy nor the lives of its people. He held the entire national system hostage solely for the "vested interests" and "immunity" of himself and his family. This was not an act of governance by a leader, but no different from a perpetrator's attempt to destroy evidence.

The December 3 incident left an indelible stain and scar on the history of South Korean democracy. Paradoxically, however, this event also served as an opportunity to confirm the democratic resilience of our society. Even in front of gun barrels, the citizens did not yield and remained awake, and the National Assembly responded swiftly in accordance with constitutional procedures. Now, all that remains is the strict and resolute judgment of the judiciary.

The truth of that day, which is losing its veil through the trials, poses a solemn question to our society: "For whom does state power truly exist?" The reckless provocation that attempted to trade the nation's constitutional order for the safety of the two subverters of the Constitution, Yoon Suk-yeol and Kim Keon-hee, can never be glorified as a "political decision." This is because it is a clear anti-constitutional crime and a direct challenge to the sovereign people.

In the end, the truth cannot be concealed. Their flaws, which they attempted to cover with the massive shroud of martial law, are now being exposed in the most vivid and ugly manner under the lights of the courtroom. History will record December 3, 2024, as the day when the downfall of a ruler who attempted to privatize the state for private interest began, and as a day of victory when democracy was defended by the power of the citizens. Power is finite, but truth is eternal, and there is no sanctuary that can be an exception before the tribunal of the law.