October 3rd, Free University Rally at Gwanghwamun on National Foundation Day. People Power Party Supreme Council member Kim Min-soo is on the podium delivering a speech. Tens of thousands attended the rally that day, moving the organizers to tears. Hanmi Ilbo Martial law is the final resort of democratic constitutional order. It is a mechanism designed to protect the state during extreme crises such as war, civil unrest, or foreign threats. However, if this blade is misused, the freedom and rights of the citizens can collapse in an instant. This is why the procedures for suspending and lifting martial law are more important than its declaration.

In that regard, the martial law declared by former President Yoon Suk Yeol left behind a paradoxical legacy. Although martial law was actually declared, it was halted by the National Assembly just three hours later. Even though it was short-lived, the National Assembly exercised its power of checks and balances during that time, and the system functioned. There was little damage, and democracy proved its self-correcting ability even in the face of danger. Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law remains an "incident where the system worked despite the danger." It was a case of martial law that left no terror among the public, and thus, it actually reaffirmed the survival of the constitutional order.

The behavior of the Lee Jae-myung regime is quite the opposite. While they do not use the term "martial law," they are in effect implementing a "pseudo-martial law" that is more burdensome and long-lasting. Using their parliamentary majority as a weapon, they amend laws and immediately mobilize police force to suppress opposition factions. Furthermore, they use special investigations as political tools to pressure their political rivals. It is an unnamed martial law, but its reality is a reign of terror that is much deeper and more enduring. The only difference is that it uses laws, the police, and special investigations instead of guns and swords; the essence is the same. Or rather, it is more dangerous—precisely because there is no telling when it will end.

Uncovering the truth behind election fraud is a core axis of the martial law debate. Elections are the starting point of democracy and the premise that determines the outcome. When suspicions are raised that an election is unfair, it is the duty of the state to investigate the truth. However, those in power usually try to suppress these claims rather than address them. Former President Yoon Suk Yeol attempted to shed light on those suspicions, and in the process, became a target of political retaliation. Conversely, the Lee Jae-myung regime dismisses the mere raising of election fraud suspicions as "mental illness," and uses the National Election Commission to file endless lawsuits and complaints, suppressing the issue coercively. One was an attempt to reveal the truth, while the other is a runaway campaign to cover it up. The direction of democracy is clearly revealed in these diametrically opposed attitudes.

Many of the citizens who took to the streets today no longer trust the current election system. This is the result of watching the National Election Commission and the powers that be suppress suspicions of election fraud without resolving them. Is it truly justified to dismiss these people unconditionally as conspiracy theorists or agitators? Rather, one must ask: "Are they at fault, or is the system that caused them to lose trust at fault?" Elections are the process by which the people delegate state power and are the lifeline of democracy. In a situation where that trust has collapsed, the citizens' doubts are not a crime, but a warning.

If Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law was a "three-hour shadow," Lee Jae-myung's pseudo-martial law is an "endless pressure." While the former shook democracy but was immediately reined in by the system, the latter continues by neutralizing the democratic system itself. Examples of political retaliation are occurring everywhere, and national affairs are sinking into paralysis and instability. The National Assembly has devolved into a mere rubber stamp, the police have become a tool of repression for the regime, and special investigations are being exploited as political weapons of power.

However, the public accurately recognizes the situation. They are not just waiting for next year's election; they are gathering on the asphalt at this very moment. From young people holding flags to office workers in black ties and the elderly with wrinkled faces, their procession is not mere anger. They are testifying with their bodies that "a reign of terror cannot replace democracy." The slogans echoing through the streets transcend political rhetoric and serve as an expression of the people's resolve to protect the constitutional order.

Democracy is not protected solely at the ballot box. It lives and breathes when people speak out together on the streets and in the squares. A pseudo-martial law that mobilizes special investigations and the police is bound to collapse in the face of public resistance. Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law ended as an incident checked by the system, but Lee Jae-myung's pseudo-martial law is paralyzing the system and plunging the country into endless anxiety. This difference separates those who protect democracy from those who undermine it.

History has always been determined by the people. The citizens currently standing on the asphalt are the final seawall of democracy. Their outcry is the ultimate defense of the constitution, preventing civil unrest.

#Editorial #Insurgent #YoonSukYeolMartialLaw #LeeJaeMyungPseudoMartialLaw #ReignOfTerror #AbuseOfSpecialInvestigation #PolicePower #CrisisOfDemocracy #ConstitutionalProtection #PublicResistance