“I never imagined I would hear the term ‘martial law’ in my lifetime.”
At 8 a.m. on Wednesday, in front of Euljiro 1-ga Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, a 50-year-old office worker, identified only as Mr. Ahn, hurried to work with a cup of coffee. He remarked, “I never imagined I would hear the term ‘martial law’ in my lifetime.” Mr. Ahn added, “I was shocked to hear the news about martial law yesterday, but when I woke up this morning, I found out it had been lifted. While it didn’t cause significant inconvenience, I think we’ll have to keep an eye on how things unfold,” he said as he continued to the office.
That morning, the usual rush hour was filled with the lingering shock of the sudden martial law declaration and the ordinary routines of daily life. On the radio, discussions about martial law were mixed with Christmas carols. The calm morning stood in stark contrast to the tense atmosphere of the previous night, leaving many citizens feeling as though the events were unreal.
A graduate student, identified only as Mr. Lee, was waiting for a bus with a blank expression in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun. “I had to get to work, but I couldn’t even process whether the martial law news was real,” he said. “Watching the broadcast, seeing troops enter the National Assembly and helicopters flying overhead made me anxious, and my heart was pounding,” he sighed.
Mr. Lee continued, “I was on edge until the resolution passed early. I stayed up all night watching the news, so I’m exhausted. Still, seeing all 190 lawmakers come to the National Assembly and unanimously pass the resolution to lift martial law was a relief. It seems like things ended relatively well,” he said, shaking his head.
A university student, Ms. A, shared her unease: “At first, I couldn’t believe it, but after seeing the airborne troops deployed at the National Assembly in the news, it started to feel real. I’m worried because I don’t know if the martial law situation is truly over or what President Yoon Suk Yeol’s next moves will be,” she said.
Mr. Kim Gi Chul, boarding a bus bound for Seodaemun, commented, “If martial law hadn’t been lifted, I would have been worried, but thankfully, I checked the Cabinet’s decision before heading to work. My child was also unsure about going to school, but the Ministry of Education announced normal classes, so they went as usual,” he said.
