Maura Elizabeth Cunningham

On the morning of Tuesday, December 3, I got up early and started writing right away. I was working on a book review and had suddenly hit the zone where words were flowing, so my focus was unusually unshakeable. At 9:00, I reluctantly left that document and switched to Zoom, where I spent the next two hours in meetings. Finally, at 11:00am, I took a good look at my email and Bluesky for the first time that day.

I had completely missed the launch of an attempted coup in South Korea.

Conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol had declared martial law—due not to a clear security threat, but to the weakness of his own political position. Yoon claimed that “anti-state activities” among his opponents justified the move, alleging that the government needed to fight pro-North Korean forces within the country.

Lawmakers, however, were having none of this. Nearly two-thirds of the 300 National Assembly members (including 18 in Yoon’s own party) managed to break through a military blockade and enter the building, where they voted unanimously to revoke the martial law declaration. Six hours after it began, Yoon’s attempt to secure his control of the country had ended thanks to a swift and impressive exercise of democratic processes.

Failing to implement martial law doesn’t generally signal a bright political future. As of Sunday morning in the U.S., though, Yoon remains in power; an attempt to impeach him yesterday fizzled due to a boycott by members of his party. There are still calls for his resignation—even the leader of Yoon’s party has acknowledged that the president will need to step down at some point—as well as the possibility of another run at impeachment. Kim Yong-hyun, the defense minister who reportedly suggested the martial law order to Yoon, resigned on Wednesday and today was arrested for treason.

These events have brought forth a flurry of commentary and analysis, some of which I’ve linked to below in a special reading round-up on South Korea.

Thanks for joining me this week.

Sheena Chestnut Greitens, “The Global Consequences of Yoon’s Martial Law Gambit”

Eun A Jo, “What just happened in South Korea?”

This was my first experience of martial law – if this short-lived circus can even be called that – something that, until now, I had only read about in history books. But even in that short time, I was terrified. The experience woke me up, once again, to the severe, unavoidable reality of Korean division. And I remembered how it can be exploited by our leaders to justify repression and control.

— Haeryun Kang, “Martial law came to South Korea – and my friends and I doomscrolled through the night”

E. Tammy Kim, “A Coup, Almost, in South Korea”

Justin McCurry and Raphael Rashid, “K-pop and autocrats: jolt to democracy lays bare South Korea’s two sides”

Raphael Rashid, “‘Democracy isn’t supposed to work like this’: disbelief in Seoul in wake of martial law upheaval”

Recommendations

China Stories

When I first moved into my Taipei apartment, the real estate agent told me I’d need to take out my own trash. The catch is you can’t just throw out trash in Taiwan. It must be meticulously presorted, then disposed of during five- to eight-minute windows, just once a day. I don’t have time for that, I spluttered. I anticipated long work days and lots of reporting trips. So I tried to hire someone to take out my trash for me, which is a whole industry in Taiwan, but I kept striking out.

— Emily Feng, “A love letter to Taiwan’s meticulous — and frustrating — trash collection system”

Liu Yuli, “Writing on the Wall: The Bold, Blocky Print That Scripted Socialism”

The main exhibit of the collection focuses on the bibliographic history of China and the region, and the numerous editions of important works: histories, maps, archives, and other documents. Interestingly, a copy of the Yongle Dictionary 永乐大典 is a highlight of the exhibit, and is placed in close proximity to an exhibit on the evolution of the Communist Manifesto. The implications are obvious-that the Communist Manifesto should not be viewed as in a category separate from important documents of China’s imperial past, they are both “editions” 版本 that reflect important moments in China’s history.

— Andrew Stokols, “Xi Jinping’s Archival Project to Rewrite Chinese History”

Simon Wheeler, “Inside Haoxi Simon Wang’s journey to the top of the 2025 NHL Draft from China”

Edward Wong, “Inside a Secret Plan to Bring Uyghurs Trapped in China to the United States”

Wanderings Around the World

Sudeep Chakravarti, “Maps abound, disputed boundaries and nationalist posturing in South Asia’s ‘ring of fire’” and “Manipur to Chittagong Hills to Myanmar: Why unrest is festering across South Asia’s borderlands”

Choe Sang-Hun, “A North Korean Voice That Kim Jong-un Would Like to Silence”

Mark Harris, “How Did Lesbian Pulp Fiction Thrive in the 1950s and ’60s?”

Jason Herbert, “How the Outdoor Industry Sold Nature to America: ‘Reckoning’ with Dr. Rachel Gross” (podcast)

Constant Méheut and Jenny Gross, “Inside ‘Rail Force One’: The Trains That Take World Leaders to Ukraine”

Rohan Venkat, “Joshua Ehrlich on the East India Company, Big Tech, and How Corporations Think About Knowledge”

Standout Story

As I chug hangover tea, I scroll through my phone, continuing to be baffled that no emergency alert has gone out. My cheeks are flushed and my head is buzzing, and I can’t tell how much of it is alcohol and how much of it is the pure surrealness of living under martial law. I text my brother and I text my cousin, asking if they’ve received an alert, asking them to ask their friends if they have. At 11:30PM I put on my coat and trundle off to the subway, a decision that is equal parts soju and commitment to the principles of journalism. I might as well be on the ground — even if I can’t make sense of what’s happening, the least I could do is witness it.

— Sarah Jeong, “6 hours under martial law in Seoul”

Featured photo: Declaration of Independence Monument, Seodaemun Independence Park, Seoul, July 1, 2023.