A citizen captures a military helicopter entering the National Assembly grounds in the early hours of Dec. 4, just hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on the night of Dec. 3. Korea Times photo by Park Simon

Kim Mi-rim, 29, who lives in Yongsan, Seoul, says she breaks into a cold sweat whenever she sees a police bus and now deliberately takes longer routes to avoid them. Last Sunday, she recounted how images of thousands of police officers stationed outside the National Assembly and the Yongsan Presidential Office during the Dec. 3 martial law chaos remain vivid in her mind.

Since that night, she has developed insomnia, constantly checking breaking news out of fear that something worse might happen. A doctor diagnosed her with trauma related to martial law and prescribed medication.

The lingering psychological scars from martial law are becoming increasingly apparent among citizens. While the chaos surrounding the failed impeachment vote and subsequent declaration of martial law unfolded too quickly for many to process, the full emotional weight of the events is now hitting hard.

Martial law troops clash with National Assembly staff inside the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on Dec. 4, following President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law during an emergency public address. Newsis

The trauma is especially severe for those who directly experienced the events. Shin, a 39-year-old aide at the National Assembly, recalls scaling walls and physically clashing with martial law troops during the incident.

"At the time, I just thought, ‘We need to hold on,' but by the following week, symptoms began appearing," Shin said.

He says that the sound of helicopters or the sight of security personnel at the Assembly triggers a sinking feeling. "There are so many of us dealing with these issues that people are saying the Assembly offices have become a hospital," he added with a bitter laugh.

For residents near Seoul Air Base, like Seo, 55, the trauma lingers. Despite the National Assembly's resolution to lift martial law, Seo said, "I couldn't sleep after hearing planes coming and going, fearing the situation wasn't truly over. Sometimes I still hear phantom aircraft noises."

Citizens who participated in protests calling for the president's impeachment report similar struggles. Park, 27, from Busan, said, "Seeing the president evade prosecution or a proper investigation makes me worry that a second martial law could happen. I can't sleep."

Kim, 33, who attended a protest near Namtaeryeong, added, "Once trust in the government, police and military is broken, it's hard to recover. The economic fallout from martial law has also made it harder to find a job, adding to the despair."

Participants chant slogans during a candlelight rally demanding the immediate resignation of President Yoon Suk Yeol near Gyeongbokgung Palace in Jongno District, Seoul, Saturday. Yonhap

Experts stress that such symptoms are not unusual. They compare the psychological impact of martial law to that of previous large-scale social disasters, where the temporary suspension of normal life and security left deep scars.

"Political unrest and economic instability, such as skyrocketing exchange rates, remind people that the martial law crisis hasn't fully passed, pulling them back into the traumatic experience," Lim Myung-ho, a psychology professor at Dankook University, said. He advised maintaining optimism and working toward resuming daily routines to aid recovery.

Sim Min-young, head of the National Center for Trauma at the National Mental Health Center, also emphasized the collective impact of martial law.

"It's a shared trauma for the entire generation, with the sheer act of witnessing it creating fear and anxiety," she said, adding that regional trauma centers are offering psychological support for those affected by the martial law crisis.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.