Boiling Point: Documenting the State of Civil Unrest in South Korea
South Korea is experiencing a state of civil and political unrest. On the night of December 3, the Korean president Yoon Suk-Yeol suddenly declared emergency martial law, a move which threatened to undo the decades of progress South Korea has made to become a strong democracy. This time proved to be much different than the last attempt at martial law, though, as the Korean population immediately mobilized to protect their hard-fought rights.
Almost as soon as the martial law declaration happened, members of the public as well as lawmakers descended upon the National Assembly in Seoul to reverse the martial law declaration and restore their democracy. The will of the people prevailed and the martial law was lifted after only a few hours. Many people must have slept through the entire ordeal.
For Korean people, the declaration of martial law brought up terrible memories of military dictatorships which killed dissenters indiscriminately. Determined not to let such a situation happen again, political organizations, trade unions, and tens of thousands of everyday citizens organized in what they called “Candlelight Action”: protests similar to the protests that led to the impeachment and arrest of the former Korean president Park Geun-Hye.
On December 7, 2024, tens of thousands of “Candlelight protesters” gathered in front of the National Assembly ahead of the vote on Yoon’s impeachment. I arrived there to cover the protest, and the scene was overwhelming. Although the exact number of attendees can’t be determined, it was estimated that around 200,000 people in total were at this protest. It was so crowded that cellular signals didn’t work — something I had never experienced during my years in this country.
The December 7 vote fell through due to a walkout by members of Yoon’s party. So, the Candlelight protesters vowed to continue demonstrating until justice is achieved in this case. My new photographic project, Boiling Point, documents the ongoing civil unrest in South Korea and the stories of the individuals who continue to go out and protest despite the cold.
Photos from December 7 are displayed below. View the project page here, and the photo gallery here.
Candlelight protesters vowed to continue demonstrating until justice is achieved in this case.
