Emergency Martial Law Nullified After 2.5 Hours
Performance Schedules Delayed... Lee Seunghwan Concert Announced as 'Canceled'
President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, but just over two hours later, the National Assembly passed a resolution demanding its lifting, drawing attention to whether the scheduled entertainment events on the 4th will proceed as planned.
At 1:02 a.m. on the 4th, the National Assembly passed a resolution demanding the president lift martial law with unanimous approval from all 190 members present.
Earlier, around 10:25 p.m. the previous day, President Yoon delivered an emergency statement from the Yongsan Presidential Office, saying, "The government is paralyzed and the people's sighs are increasing. This is trampling on the constitutional order of the free Republic of Korea and disturbing legitimate state institutions established by the Constitution and law, which is a clear anti-state act plotting rebellion. The people's lives are disregarded, and the government is paralyzed solely due to impeachment and special prosecution protection by opposition party leaders."
He continued, "Through this martial law, I will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into ruin. To this end, I will definitely eradicate the anti-state forces, the root cause of national ruin, who have been committing atrocities until now. I will eradicate the anti-state forces and normalize the country as soon as possible," and declared martial law.
As a result, various entertainment programs that were on air immediately stopped broadcasting and were replaced by special news coverage.
The entertainment industry also quickly moved to postpone schedules. Singer Lee Seung-hwan announced the cancellation of his concert "Like a Black-and-White Movie," which was scheduled to be held at the Under the Clouds Small Theater on the 4th and 5th.
He explained, "Tickets purchased for the canceled performance will be fully refunded 100%, and detailed procedures will be announced again."
However, after the National Assembly passed the resolution to lift martial law, Lee Seung-hwan said, "Fortunately, the National Assembly passed the resolution to lift martial law, but I cannot relax. If the lifting happens quickly within the morning, I will inform you of a positive conclusion regarding whether the performance will proceed."
Dua Lipa, who is holding her first concert in Korea in six years following 2017 and 2018, was scheduled to hold concerts on the 4th and 5th at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome. However, the declaration of martial law caused confusion among fans. The organizer, Live Nation, has not posted any separate notice, so whether the concerts will proceed remains uncertain.
Unaware of the situation, Dua Lipa promoted her Seoul concert and pop-up store opening on her SNS. Since President Yoon's martial law declaration was sudden and highly secretive, entertainment officials appear to be carefully monitoring the situation before deciding whether to proceed.
Martial law declared for the first time in 44 years since May 1980 under then-President Chun Doo-hwan was nullified after the National Assembly passed a resolution demanding its lifting, but with the entertainment industry still in turmoil, it seems that it will take time for the confusion to settle.
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