“The nation’s song”- Internet reacts to South Koreans playing G-Dragon’s ’Crooked’ to protest against President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment result

South Korea plunged into political turmoil on December 3, 2024, when President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law in a surprise late-night televised address. Citing threats from "anti-state activities" and alleged ties between opposition lawmakers and North Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol claimed the drastic measure was necessary to maintain national security.

However, the move provoked an immediate backlash, with accusations of authoritarian overreach and constitutional violations, leading to an intense impeachment motion in parliament. In the aftermath of the martial law declaration, South Koreans poured into the streets in massive protests, with citizens and students leading the charge.

Protesters demanded President Yoon Suk-yeol’s resignation, holding signs and banners condemning his decision. The protest was livestreamed on YouTube by The Independent and The Daily Netizen. A small section of it went viral online after the official account @UpdateNews724 posted it on X, which showed Koreans singing Crooked, a song by G-Dragon, during the protest.

Reportedly, over 1 million demonstrators rallied on the streets of Seoul, crooning to Crooked and accused President Yoon Suk-yeol of allegedly undermining democracy and called for an end to his presidency.

Global K-pop fanbase noted how South Koreans opted for G-Dragon's Crooked, released in 2013, to rally on the streets and call for the President's resignation. One fan hailed the track as the "nation's song" and wrote:

"The nation’s song, I hope everyone stays safe."

Netizens found the act empowering to sing G-Dragon's Crooked lyrics, which focuses on the themes of rebellion.

"G-Dragon as the unofficial soundtrack of rebellion? Iconic. Stay safe out there!" one fan wrote.

"A massive crowd like that shouting “Tonight I’ll be crooked” in a protest is so powerful," another fan noted.

"Gdragon rly is THAT kpop idol. He remains iconic his songs from a decade ago remain iconic..." another fan added.

Others stated that this moment would go down in history as being "forever legendary," and they also hailed G-Dragon as a "music visionary."

"Kwon Jiyong is indeed a music visionary since a while ago, not just 2024. And I love it, he's the artist that inspires me," one fan commented.

"Wow crooked was released years ago and the whole crowd be singing it at a national protest to bring down the president," another fan said.

"This will be forever legendary, no amount of western awards can be on the same level of this iconicness," one other fan emphasized.

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Protests erupt after President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment failed following his martial law declaration

Following the declaration of martial law, South Korea’s opposition-controlled National Assembly filed an impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol. They argued that his actions represented a severe abuse of power and violated the nation’s democratic principles.

However, according to Al Jazeera, during the December 7 parliamentary vote, the motion narrowly failed to meet the required two-thirds majority, with 192 votes in favor—just eight votes short of success. The ruling party's 108 lawmakers from President Yoon Suk-yeol’s People Power Party (PPP) reportedly staged a walkout before the vote, preventing potential defections within their ranks.

The opposition party needed 200 out of 300 votes in favor of President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment. The opposition (Democratic Party of Korea) criticized this move as a deliberate obstruction of the democratic process.

Al Jazeera reported that just hours before his impeachment vote on December 7, 2024, in a televised address hours before the impeachment vote, President Yoon Suk-yeol apologized for the political turmoil caused by his actions.

"I am very sorry and would like to sincerely apologise to the people who were shocked. I leave it up to my party to take steps to stabilise the political situation in the future, including the issue of my term in office.” Yoon said, promising there would be no second attempt.

In addition to public protests, BBC reported that prosecutors launched investigations into Yoon Suk-yeol’s justification for declaring martial law on December 6. They raised questions about the evidence behind his accusations against opposition lawmakers.

As per Reuters, Yoon Suk-yeol’s interior minister, Lee Sang-min, army chief Park An-su, and now-former defense minister Kim Yong-Hyun faced investigation and have been put under a travel ban.

The opposition lawmakers have filed cases seeking his resignation, alleging violations of constitutional rights and misuse of presidential authority.

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President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law marked the first such action in South Korea since the era of military rule in the 1980s.