I write this from Korea, following a short but indelible declaration of martial law. We’re not in the business of breaking news or politics, but we’ve had quite a few people ask what is going on.
Being that we’re not a news source, if you want to know the gritty details, I recommend that you check your favorite reputable news source. For our “boots on the ground” view (outside of Seoul), here’s a very high level overview of what we experienced:
- We learned that martial law was declared around 11pm local time.
- We began scrolling news to learn more about the situation.
- When we got a grip on what was happening, frankly, I was incredulous and relieved that it wasn’t related to North Korea.
- Our Korean friends didn’t seem to feel the same sense of relief, and we witnessed their brains melt before our very eyes.
- Across adult generations, our friends were angry, distraught, and blindsided.
- Everyone began swearing profusely, loudly, and continuously.
- Everyone went to bed.
- The next day, the sun rose again, clearer heads prevailed, Martial Law was lifted, and our friends were able to speak coherently once more.
- The outside world felt about 15% less busy, but mostly business as usual.
Most people we’ve talked to express feelings of grief and embarrassment, alongside anger and frustration. Many people experienced and lament the old days of military rule, yet they are protesting peacefully without violence, rioting, or looting. On the flip side, police and military are not “cracking down,” or locking down anything at this point.
I admit that it’s not a very exciting perspective, but from a ground level view, nothing has materially changed. If we had gone to bed a bit earlier, it would have all been resolved by the time we woke up. In office-speak, it’s like a late night IT outage that was resolved outside of business hours. It needs to be investigated and prevented from occurring again, but it doesn’t seem to have impacted business operations.
That is not to downplay the complexity or broad ramifications, rather just an update for those who have asked. Who knows what’s next, but we’ll keep you posted!