Yesterday morning South Korea's president suddenly declared martial law --for the first time since 1979 (when dictator Park ChungHee was assassinated). Let's talk about this, YES on Wattpad.
First of all, the MPs blocked the declaration. Martial Law was lifted. The immediate storming of parliament proves the country's strength, and I admire the politicians that fought their way through the army and climbed over walls and fences to protect the country's freedom. It was a scary few hours for everyone.
But let's talk about Hallyu. This situation is a great example of how bonkers and problematic SK truly is. Wattpad is especially guilty of over-romanticizing SK, and it does get on my nerves as I've never met other Wattpaders who actually live here. Many users (definitely not all!!) like to imagine SK as this utopia/kpop-theme-park, filled with pretty idols and kimchi where nothing bad could possibly happen. But like most places, it's a very traumatized nation filled with political issues. Decolonization, war trauma, rampant sexism, cult presence, and government corruption are not usually showcased properly in KPop culture. So I hope this attempted coup opens people's eyes to the true nature of this dangerous and beautiful country.
--Aside from the comment on the romanticization of KCulture, I won't share any personal opinions on any of Korea's current issues. I'm Canadian, and even though I studied political science back in Canada, I don't have the experience or nuance to publicly state my opinions on Korea's politics yet.
I hope that all you KPop stans out there try to understand the culture that is so commonly worshipped by foreigners. Remember that it does not exist simply to entertain you. Many of my friends describe Korea by saying "We're a very sad people", and not a lot of people comprehend this. If you idolize Korea, please learn of its troubles so that you may love it wholly and not superficially.