In order to seize every possible resource at his disposal to try to take the country and bend all checks, balances, and power to his will to create an anti-socialist, divisive, and hyper pro-U.S. narrative, the president abused power.
Now remember, I’m talking about Korea, but not really.
The president was impeached, arrested, and indicted, and is now going through the higher courts.
And I want you to remember how we made that happen. The lesson I want to bring back from Korea is one of solidarity.
When Yoon declared martial law in December, it was a mix of disbelief at the audacity and recklessness of this man, and outrage at all the people that went along with it. This is a sentiment that a lot of people around the world have been feeling while witnessing what their leaders are doing.
The first people to be arrested were his underlings. First strategy, the people first went for the those that were under him who went along with the absurdity. Because once you get the henchmen, there’s no one for the top to call on anymore.
In Korea, the martial law declaration was a very familiar and recent one. The last time it was declared tens of thousands of lives were taken by the government with the U.S.’s endorsement.
The US also has an extremely traumatic, oppressive, and repressive history to draw from that is recent and familiar. But it’s intentionally kept so fragmented that people think, “That was that history, not our history. It’s different.”
That brings me to my second strategy; remember history so that you remember that it is a collective struggle of all of the people.
That collective history is very much in the remembrance and minds of the Korean people. And because Korea is technically still at war, we’re always ready to go.
빨리빨리. Within minutes of the declaration, millions organized around the country. Special forces and police were dispatched with ammo in tow, but many of them defied their orders and refused to fight the people.
Strategy three, be ready right now because it’s happening right now.
Strategy four, defy and dissent at every level.
Of course, Korea and the US are very different, yes, but there are some critical traits that we hold in common. One of the biggest commonalities is the oppression by the U.S. empire.
The Korean people did not like what happened that day, they let it be known, and they haven’t stopped since.
So once again, these are just some strategies I’m sharing from Korea.
One, we went through the bottom to get to the top. Two, we remembered our collective struggle. Three, we were ready because we got ready. Four, find dissent at all levels.
화이팅, y’all.
[…] Lessons and Solidarity From Korea (Part One) […]