Martial Law Crisis To Affect Scores Of Indians In South Korea For Higher Studies
A high-voltage drama surrounding South Korean politics saw the imposition of martial law and then its lifting later after lawmakers unanimously voted against it. The country has been gaining popularity as a study-abroad destination.
Study Abroad: After President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in South Korea on Tuesday night during an emergency national address, he was forced to lift it during the early hour of Wednesday after 190 of 300 lawmakers from both opposition and ruling parties unanimously voted to reject the martial law.
Yoon said that the decision was taken to protect the constitutional order and freedom and it was not to impact the country's foreign policy.
“Through the declaration of martial law, I will rebuild and protect a free South Korea,” Yoon said, as reported by Hindustan Times.
The country has been attracting many international students for study abroad opportunities. The Ministry of Education data of South Korea has revealed that in 2022, there were 1,328 Indian students studying in Korea as reported by TOI.
Earlier, the country was not a very popular study-abroad destination for Indian students mainly due to language barriers but of late it has been gaining popularity due to its culture and popularity worldwide due to K-pop, K-dramas and K-beauty.
"Universities that are oriented towards international students conduct 30% of their lectures in English Language. Graduate programmes have more lectures in English than undergraduate courses. There are some universities where all the courses are taught in English. Another option is to enroll in Korean language course prior to the academic session. The academic year usually starts in March for spring season and September for fall. A prospective student should start making preparations one year prior to the intended time of arrival," reads the statement of the Embassy of India in Seoul.
South Korea Martial Law: More Details
It was the first such declaration in the country since 1980. Despite Yoon justifying it as important to remove "pro-North Korean forces" and "anti-state", scores of protesters gathered outside the National Assembly to oppose the imposition of martial law. Some clashes were also reported between the demonstrators and security forces near the Assembly in Seoul.
"Despite the state of emergency and martial law in South Korea, the public's protest shows their awareness and courage to protect their freedom in the face of dictatorship," says one of the messages on the X platform.
"People in South Korea took the streets at night. That is how a brave people risen up against an authoritarian president who imposed martial law. P.S. on the Jin’s bday? No way," reads another message on X.
During martial law, strict restrictions are placed on dissent including on "manipulating public opinion" and "fake news", arrests can be made without warrants and parliamentary and political activities get suspended.
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