As South Koreans took to the streets this month to demand the ouster of their president, some found an unexpected outlet for their anger: humor and satire.
They held up flags and banners with funny messages about cats, sea otters and food. They waved signs joking that President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law had forced them to leave the comfort of their beds. Photos of the flags have gone viral on social media.
The idea was to use humor to build unity against Mr. Yoon, who has vowed to fight prosecution for his martial law ruling that backfired on Dec. 3. Others wave the flags of non-existent groups like the so-called Dumpling Association, a mockery. of real groups such as trade unions, churches or student clubs.
Video by Yu Young Jin/The New York Times
Photos by Weiyi Cai/The New York Times
“I wanted to show that we were here as part of the people even if we were not part of a community group,” said Kim Sae-rim, 28, who raised a flag for a group of waste pickers at a recent protest. went with friends. Other groups referred to other local favorites such as pizza and red bean cakes.
Kwon Oh-hyouck, a veteran protester, said he first saw such flags appearing during the protests in 2016 and 2017 that eventually led to the ouster of President Park Geun-hye. Mr. Kwon said satire is part of the Korean spirit of protest.
“People make fun of difficult situations, even those in charge come out with guns and knives,” he said. “They don’t panic.”
In the past month, protesters have come up with a number of illegal groups. Some called them homes. And others come across as people suffering from motion sickness.
Video by Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
Photos by Weiyi Cai/The New York Times
Video by Weiyi Cai/The New York Times
Photo by Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
Lee Kihoon, a professor of modern Korean history at Yonsei University in Seoul, said he believes the flags at this month’s protests reflect the diversity of people stirred up by the president’s efforts to deploy the military.
“They are trying to say: ‘Even for us who are not associated with political parties, this situation is unacceptable,'” he said. “‘I’m not a party member or anything, but this is weird.’
Others carried signs mocking Mr. Yoon, they said, had separated them from their pets at home and disrupted their schedule of watching Korean dramas. Another group called itself the union of people running late, referring to the idea that the need to protest about martial law forced them to reorganize their employment.
Photo by Weiyi Cai/The New York Times
Photo by Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
And of course, there were animals, real and not.
Photos by Weiyi Cai/The New York Times
South Koreans have shown that protests for major causes – such as the impeachment of the president – can still have an inviting, optimistic and carnival-like atmosphere.
“I don’t know if the protesters see that, but even though they are angry, they have never found humility, weight or morality,” said Mr. Lee. “The flags had a softening effect and calmed the tension.”
On the day lawmakers voted to censure Mr. Yoon, protesters who were K-pop fans brought light sticks to the rally and danced to pop songs blasting from the speakers. “Although this is an important day,” said Lee Jung-min, a 31-year-old Big Bang fan, “we can enjoy it and stay happy.”
Video by Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
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