"Cheongwadae Curse Repeats" "Martial Law for Kim Yeo-sa"... Chinese Media Reports on South Korea Impeachment Crisis

"The Task Is How to Break the Cheongwadae Curse"

Following real-time coverage of South Korea's emergency martial law situation by major Chinese media, the political situation in South Korea, which has entered an impeachment crisis, is being reported moment by moment.

On the 5th, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that the Democratic Party of Korea will vote on the impeachment motion against President Yoon at the National Assembly plenary session on the 7th, and the police have launched an investigation into the case of charges of treason against President Yoon and others. China Central Television (CCTV) and Global Times also reported the scheduled vote on the impeachment motion.

President Yoon Suk-yeol announced in an emergency address at 4:30 a.m. on the 4th that the martial law declared last night will be lifted in response to the National Assembly's request. The photo shows President Yoon's emergency address being broadcast on the TV in the Seoul Station waiting room. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

There is also great interest among Chinese people in the domestic political situation. On Baidu, China's largest search portal, an online encyclopedia entry compiling the process from President Yoon's declaration of martial law to the push for impeachment was created under the title "12.3 Korean Political Strife," and another entry titled "12.4 Yoon Seok-yeol Impeachment Motion" also appeared. At one point, "Korea's 6 hours and 40 minutes," which indicates the time from President Yoon's declaration of martial law to the National Security Council's resolution to lift martial law, became the number one trending search term on Baidu.

China News Network uploaded a video titled "Rapid Changes in South Korean Political Situation: Why Can't the President Escape the Blue House Curse?" In the video, Huang Luhan, a professor at the International Relations Institute of the Chinese Overseas Chinese University, said, "The Korean administration repeatedly fell into the so-called 'Blue House curse,' so this situation might have been anticipated," adding, "How to break this curse will be an important task that Korean society must face going forward." This implies that President Yoon is increasingly likely to follow in the footsteps of previous presidents who worked in the Blue House.

President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law on the night of the 3rd, and in the early morning of the 4th, martial law troops are attempting to enter the main building of the National Assembly. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Various analyses are pouring in within China regarding the sudden declaration of martial law. Liu Hong, editor-in-chief of the magazine "Global" under Xinhua News Agency, posted on the social media account New Tanchin the previous day an article titled "South Korea Changed Overnight: 10 Questions." New Tanchin wrote, "President Yoon claimed to defend liberal democracy, but the trigger for the (martial law) declaration was the bribery case involving Kim Geon-hee," adding, "He declared himself an enemy of the whole world for the woman he loves," and warned, "Don't think such material only appears in novels or movies."

Researcher L? Chao of the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences also told the Global Times, "The martial law order was not a well-planned decision but rather a 'stress response,'" and added, "It seems to have been greatly influenced by family issues such as the investigation of his wife."

There is also analysis that the reporting attitude of Chinese media reflects the influence of the Chinese government. It is seen as an attempt to highlight the weaknesses of the democratic system in South Korea triggered by the emergency martial law situation. In fact, the state-run Global Times stated in a column that "there has long been severe partisan conflict and intense political strife in South Korean politics," and "in such a political atmosphere, scandals and accusations have become common phenomena in South Korean politics."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.