CNN Panel on South Korea President Declaring Martial Law: This Is What Can Happen to Us Under Trump

BASH: “As you’re describing what President Biden is expected to do, he is actually speaking. We should remind our viewers that he is on an international trip. He’s in Africa, Angola, in particular. He’s at an event right now. He has not addressed this issue. We are going to monitor that and see if he does. But as we watch and listen for that, MJ, just talk a little bit about your deep knowledge of the region. You mentioned that this is the first time that martial law has been declared since it was ruled by military dictatorship in the 1980s. Can you just elaborate on that?”
Lee: “Yeah. You know, I was saying this in the last hour, just for context here. The reason that this is going to be just so, I think, emotionally jarring for the folks in Korea is because this is not really distant history. The fact that this kind of thing could happen in the streets of Seoul for folks who are in my parents’ generation, and certainly my grandparents’ generation, this is what they lived through.” [crosstalk]
BASH: “And you were born in South Korea.”
Lee: “I was born in South Korea the very last year that there was a military dictatorship. And soon after I was born, there was the first democratic presidential election that elected Roh Tae-woo. And obviously, the country has evolved and developed so much since then. But we now talk about South Korea as one of the most important democratic countries and a vibrant democratic country in Asia that we look to and point to often as a model. So just seeing these headlines, seeing these scenes, knowing that this is possible, I think just in and of itself in the context of South Korean history is important. Obviously, we around the table should talk about why this should be an important thing for Americans to pay attention to —“
BASH: “Right. Well, that’s what I want to —“
Lee: “— particularly given that Donald Trump is about to be president in a number of weeks, somebody who has said —“
BASH: “Yeah.”
Lee: “— he wants to use the military to go after his own enemies.”
BASH: “Well, pick up on that.”
BRESHANAN: “Yeah. I mean, I think MJ’s points are very — she’s right on point here. I mean, they really rolled out the red carpet for Yoon. I mean, he had a state visit last year at a state dinner with Biden. We — you know, they issued a declaration, Biden and Yoon. I mean. And now the thought — you know, we’re seeing soldiers entering the National Assembly. I mean, you talked about, shockingly, the parallels of January 6th, just the image of a democracy facing this kind of crisis, I think this is something that people are scared about, or Democrats are scared about when they think about Trump’s return, because he has used — he has — he has encouraged the use of force —“
BASH: “Mm-hmm.”
BRESHANAN: “— to achieve political goals, and — you know, or try to achieve a political goal on January 6th, and you know, or at least played with it. We’ve talked about now pardoning some of these folks on January 6th —“
BASH: “Mm-hmm.”
BRESHANAN: “— the — the rioters, insurrectionists, whatever you want to call them. So, you know, this is on the top of people’s mind. And then I think when they see scenes like this, it’s just shocking to see a decades-long democracy, one of the closest U.S. allies in the region, in the world, have this — go through this kind of convulsion. I think it’s just — you know, it stunned Washington, Capitol Hill, I’m trying to get a response from people. Nobody wants to say anything —“
BASH: “Yeah.”
BRESHANAN: “— because they don’t know how to deal with it.”