Seoul: Veteran South Korean broadcaster Kim Ou-joon revealed that he went into hiding just minutes after President Yoon Suk Yeol announced martial law last week. Fearing for his life, Kim kept a low profile for 36 hours in a remote location, even though the martial law was lifted on Wednesday morning after parliament rejected the decree.
"I thought I was going to die," Kim told Reuters in an interview at his studio in Seoul, where a security guard now stands watch outside.
While the nation’s attention was focused on the tense standoff in parliament between lawmakers and police forces trying to prevent the vote on the martial law proclamation, it later came to light that military personnel had also visited the national election commission and Kim's studio that night.
As part of the martial law, media were supposed to fall under government control, but Kim, known for his left-leaning views and anti-establishment stance, seemed to be the only media figure targeted. Footage provided by Kim's News Factory studio shows at least 20 soldiers armed with guns outside the studio in central Seoul. However, Kim was at home at the time, and it was unclear if soldiers had also been sent there.
Kim, who hosts a popular weekday morning show on YouTube with nearly 1.8 million followers, described the military presence. "Two buses, a truck, and a command vehicle... along with armed martial law troops, arrived at the office," he said. "It was clear they were operating an arrest mission and trying to seize our office."
Hong Jang-won, a former deputy director of South Korea’s intelligence agency, testified before the parliamentary intelligence committee last week that Kim was among those facing arrest orders, along with prominent politicians and union officials.
A commander from South Korea's special warfare unit testified that President Yoon had ordered troops to forcibly remove lawmakers from parliament after declaring martial law.
While South Korea grapples with the aftermath of the president's brief martial law attempt, Kim remains hopeful it will "further strengthen" the country's democratic resilience. "Perhaps this is the only time in history where parliament lifted martial law after just a few hours, with citizens halting the military," he said.
Critics have accused Kim of being biased in favor of the opposition Democratic Party, a charge Kim has acknowledged, stating that his transparency about his biases helps listeners understand his perspective. Kim emphasized that he has been delivering the news in the same way for over 20 years, but he believes Yoon leads the "worst administration" he has ever witnessed.
Last year, Kim moved his show to YouTube after funding was cut by Seoul’s conservative-run city government, which had supported his program on state-funded TBS. Under the conservative Yoon administration, South Korea dropped from 47th to 62nd in this year’s global press freedom index by Reporters Without Borders.
When asked why he thought he was targeted by the martial law, Kim suggested it was "personal."
Though Yoon survived an impeachment vote on Saturday when most members of the ruling People Power Party walked out, Kim believes it is only "a matter of time" before the president is impeached. "The impeachment has been postponed for now. No one can stop the energy of these citizens, and eventually, Yoon Suk Yeol will be held accountable," he said.