Seoul – For many young South Koreans, the events that followed President Yoon Seok-yeol’s declaration of martial law were not only confusing in their context, but also disturbing in the language used.
Terms that once seemed confined to history books and legal textbooks—”martial law,” “treason,” “rebellion,” “rebellion,” “anti-national forces”—suddenly entered the daily news. For many young Koreans, these words feel foreign, and their exact meanings remain unclear.
Illustrating this, the term “martial law” (Korean for “martial law”) has surged to become the second most searched term on Google in South Korea this year, as searches for its definition have exploded since the imposition of martial law. .
Several Koreans in their teens and twenties interviewed by The Korea Herald admitted they struggled to understand certain terminology as the highly charged political drama unfolded. They added that social media platforms and online searches have become important tools in the search for clarity.
High school student Lee Hyun-woo was introduced to terms like “martial law” and “impeachment” in history and law classes, especially in the context of South Korea’s 2016 impeachment of President Park Geun-hye. However, he found words like “cheodan” (a term used in martial law to refer to punishment for rule breakers) and “naeran sugwae” (meaning rebel plotter) confusing. “I question my knowledge because these words are so easily used by the news media. This is all new to me,” he admits.
South Korea last imposed martial law about 45 years ago during the military dictatorship in the late 1970s.
When Park Jung-bin, a college student in her 20s who grew up in democratic South Korea, first heard about martial law, she was terrified. “I’ve only seen this word in history books,” she said. “It conjures up images of soldiers suppressing people. It was so horrific to see it today.
At first, she mistook “naeran sugwae” for something related to anti-communist rhetoric, but later learned its true meaning. She also began to question how terms like “cheodan” could still be relevant today.
Park Yoon-ji, another college student in his 20s, expressed similar views. “Sadly, these words need to be re-examined,” she said.
This situation is especially confusing for younger students. The children were confused when their second-grade teacher mentioned martial law during a discussion about democracy. They asked, “What is ‘punishment’?”
Middle school students also have the same confusion. Kim Yun-sang admitted, “Except for the word ‘martial law’ itself, I have never heard words related to martial law.” He added that he only understood it after the teacher explained it.
For 12-year-old Kang Min-je, watching the news doesn’t make sense. “It felt like a made-up political scenario with made-up words, rather than something that happened in real life,” he said.
For foreign residents and students, the reappearance of these historical terms is particularly disturbing. Rachel Perry, a 21-year-old exchange student who had only studied Korean for a year, had never heard such a term before.
“I remember (when I first heard the news) thinking these were the last words I should learn. However, I know them very well now.
Caliman Oana Maria, 24, who has been taking Korean language classes at a local university for more than two years, found the vocabulary associated with Yoon’s impeachment and martial law too complex to navigate. “I relied entirely on the English-language media to understand what steps I should take,” she said.
