By The Straits Times | Created at 2025-01-08 03:38:32 | Updated at 2025-01-08 20:38:53
17 hours ago
SEOUL - Nearly a quarter of people in South Korea who posted their New Year’s wishes online cited hopes for a “peaceful everyday life”, a trading platform said on Jan 8, as political turmoil from recent martial law and the long-running medical strike continue to scorch locals.
Karrot Market, a popular online trading platform for secondhand items, invited users to post what they wish to accomplish in 2025 between Dec 31, 2024 and Jan 5.
The most popular answer was “health”, picked by 45.5 per cent of respondents. That was followed by “peaceful everyday life” at 24.2 per cent and “happiness” at 23.5 per cent.
“There were particularly a lot of users this year wanting things to go back to normal, as they wrap up a year marred by a series of issues,” an official from the platform was quoted as saying.
South Korea in recent weeks was thrown into political turbulence after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s much-disputed martial law declaration on Dec 3, 2024. He is under investigation for insurrection and power abuse charges concerning allegedly illegal orders to his military commanders during the state of martial law, and a special counsel bill for his insurrection charge was to be put to a vote at the National Assembly on Jan 8.
The ruling party and opposition have been butting heads over his investigation and arrest, the warrant for which was renewed on Jan 7 after last week’s initial arrest attempt was thwarted due to resistance from the Presidential Security Service. Rallies calling for Mr Yoon’s arrest as well as by those against it have been held near the presidential residence in Seoul in recent weeks.
Another matter ailing Koreans has been a medical staff shortage sparked by the ongoing standoff between the government and doctors over the government’s reform plan to expand medical staffing in the country.
A survey released Jan 7 showed that 70 per cent of respondents had grown weary of the standoff, which has continued since February of 2024. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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