"Martial Law Could Be Experienced Again"... Gang Seongbeom's Prophecy from 3 Years Ago Revisited

Pro-Democracy Comedian Kang Seong-beom's Past Remarks Spark Attention
"If We Hand Over This Time, Martial Law Could Be Experienced"

Amid political turmoil caused by President Yoon Seok-yeol's sudden declaration of martial law, past remarks by comedian Kang Seong-beom, who suggested that martial law might be experienced again if the administration changed to President Yoon's, have recently drawn attention. Kang Seong-beom was known as a representative progressive entertainer during the last presidential election and hosted pro-Democratic Party broadcasts on his YouTube channel.

In 2021, the mention of martial law on comedian Kang Sung-beom's YouTube channel became a hot topic. YouTube

On November 25, 2021, Kang Seong-beom's YouTube channel posted a video titled "It's Better That the Democratic Party Is Losing." In the video, ahead of the 20th presidential election, Kang stated, "When the administration shifted to Lee Myung-bak, it was said that democracy had already taken root in South Korea, so it would be fine. But did you see? As soon as they took office, they blatantly crushed everything."

He continued, "If power is handed over this time, it will be worse than then," and raised his voice, saying, "We might have to experience again the martial law from 30 years ago that the late former President Chun Doo-hwan declared." On the 5th, images containing Kang's remarks spread across multiple online communities and social networking services (SNS). Netizens left comments expressing amazement, saying they had come for a "pilgrimage" to the video.

On the 3rd, around 10:30 p.m., President Yoon declared martial law through an emergency special address to the nation from the Yongsan Presidential Office. As public anxiety escalated, the National Assembly passed a resolution demanding the lifting of martial law about two hours and 30 minutes after the declaration. Subsequently, around 4:30 a.m. on the 4th, the Cabinet meeting chaired by President Yoon approved the lifting of martial law, but the political repercussions continue to linger.

The impeachment motion against President Yoon, initiated by 190 opposition lawmakers from the Democratic Party, the Party for People's Innovation, the Reform New Party, the Progressive Party, the Basic Income Party, the Social Democratic Party, and independent lawmaker Kim Jong-min, totaling 191 participants, was reported to the National Assembly plenary session at 12:48 a.m. that day. They cited that President Yoon's declaration of martial law violated the constitution and laws, including the principles of popular sovereignty and separation of powers, as grounds for impeachment. The impeachment motion must be voted on between 24 hours and 72 hours after being reported to the plenary session. Therefore, the vote on President Yoon's impeachment motion can take place starting from 12:49 a.m. on the 6th.