계엄령

I

WHAT IS MARTIAL LAW

The imposition of direct military control over normal civil functions or the suspension of civil law by a government. When declared, the military assumes authority that ordinarily belongs to elected civilian governance. Civil rights are curtailed. Courts may be replaced by tribunals. Movement is restricted. The press is silenced.

II

THE MECHANISMS

III

THE RECORD

1972

Philippines

President Ferdinand Marcos signs Proclamation 1081. Martial law endures for nine years. Over 3,200 killed, 35,000 tortured, 70,000 imprisoned.

1981

Poland

General Jaruzelski declares martial law to suppress the Solidarity movement. Thousands detained overnight. Telecommunications severed. Tanks patrol Warsaw streets.

1989

China

Martial law declared in Beijing, May 20. The Tiananmen Square crackdown follows on June 4. Hundreds to thousands killed. The event remains censored within China.

2021

Myanmar

Military coup on February 1. Martial law imposed across major cities. Civil disobedience movement meets lethal force. Over 1,500 confirmed killed in the aftermath.

2024

South Korea

President Yoon Suk-yeol declares emergency martial law on December 3. The National Assembly convenes and votes to lift it within hours. One of the shortest martial law periods in history. A democracy tested and held.

IV

THE COST

0 Countries with documented martial law since 1900
0 Years of the longest continuous period (Syria, 1963-2011)
0 Hours of the shortest (South Korea, 2024)