CNN commentators noted that there were “shocking” parallels between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol the declaration of martial law Tuesday and President-elect Donald Trump and the January 6 Capitol riots.
Yeol declared martial law after accusing the opposition party of engaging in “anti-state” activities and supporting pro-North Korean forces. Images of soldiers attempting to force their way into the National Assembly quickly went viral as the organization voted overwhelmingly to condemn the order.
The “Inside Politics with Dana Bash” panel discussed the news and images from the scene while openly linking it to Trump.
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A CNN panel linked Trump to the declaration of martial law in South Korea. (CNN screenshot)
“We see soldiers entering the National Assembly. I mean, you shockingly talked about the parallels of January 6just the image of a democracy facing this kind of crisis. I think this is something that people fear, or that Democrats fear, when they think about Trump’s return, because he has encouraged the use of violence to achieve political goals, and you know, or to January to try to achieve a political goal. , and or at least played with it,” said John Bresnahan, co-founder of Punchbowl News.
“We talked about pardoning some of these people on January 6, the rioters, insurgents, whatever you want to call them. So this is high on people’s minds,” he continued. “And then I think when they see these kinds of scenes, it’s just shocking to see a decades-long democracy, one of America’s closest allies in the region, in the world, go through these kinds of convulsions.”
“It surprised Washington and Capitol Hill. I’m trying to get a response from people. Nobody wants to say anything because they don’t know how to deal with it,” he added.
Bash agreed with his comments.
Other panelists also referenced Trump while discussing the situation. CNN senior White House correspondent MJ Lee, a native of South Korea, suggested that Americans should pay attention to the news in light of Trump’s return to power soon.
National Assembly workers spray a fire extinguisher at National Assembly soldiers in Seoul, South Korea. (AP)
“Clearly we need to have a conversation around the table about why this should be important for Americans to pay attention to, especially given that Donald Trump is going to be president in a few weeks, someone who has said he wants the military to stake. to go after his own enemies,” Lee said.
CNN Chief Domestic Correspondent Phil Mattingly elaborated on the impact of Trump taking office during this chaotic time.
“I think the fact that the president-elect is taking power at a time when he clearly feels more empowered than he’s ever felt based on the election results, based on what we’ve seen on Capitol Hill with his nominees not in the elections are taking place. in any way adhering to some sort of traditional standard in terms of what they represent,” Mattingly said.
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Rioters at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
“This newly elected president comes into power thinking not only that he can do what he wants and what he says he plans to do domestically, but also internationally,” he added. “South Korea is not an insignificant part of its kind of broader geopolitical strategy, which diverges very sharply from the norms of the United States. That’s what he was after. That’s why he was chosen. Do your thing, man. This is a very different moment than 2017.”
Yeol withdrew his declaration of martial law after lawmakers unanimously rejected the move. Under South Korean law, the president must lift martial law if parliament demands it by a majority vote.
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