Emergency Martial Law Declared and Lifted: Impact on Korean Entertainment Industry

On December 3, President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a state of emergency martial law, which was lifted just six hours later on December 4. This sudden announcement has sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry in South Korea.

On December 4, the production team of the Netflix original series Trunk announced the cancellation of an interview with actress Seo Hyun-jin, which was scheduled to take place at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, at 11 AM. The decision came after President Yoon's emergency address, prompting urgent discussions regarding the interview schedule. The Trunk team stated, "We will provide updates on the rescheduled date in the future."

In addition to Seo Hyun-jin, interviews with actors Gong Yoo and Jung Yoon-ha, set for December 5 and 6, have also been postponed and will be rescheduled.

Conversely, the interview with director Yang Woo-seok for the film Big Family proceeded as planned in Samcheong-dong, while the interview for the Wavve original variety show Blood Game 3 was also conducted after careful consideration.

In light of the martial law declaration and subsequent lifting, broadcasting stations switched to special news coverage, leading to the cancellation of regular programming. KBS canceled shows like Human Theater and Morning Yard, while MBC and SBS also transitioned to special news formats, resulting in the cancellation of their morning programs.

The uncertainty surrounding large-scale performances and year-end concerts has also increased. Singer Lee Seung-hwan initially announced the cancellation of his concert "Like a Black and White Movie," scheduled for December 4 and 5, but later confirmed that the concert would proceed as planned following the lifting of martial law. He expressed, "Today, with so much to say, I look forward to meeting you with deeper stories and songs."

In his emergency address on December 3 at 10:28 PM, President Yoon stated, "We will eradicate the shameless anti-state forces that are robbing our people's freedom and happiness and protect our constitutional order by declaring a state of emergency martial law." In response, the National Assembly passed a resolution at around 1:02 AM on December 4, demanding the lifting of martial law, which was subsequently declared invalid. Just three hours later, at 4:27 AM, President Yoon announced the lifting of the emergency martial law in a public address.