STORY: Protesters gathered in Seoul on Friday to demand the arrest of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Among them is seventy-year-old Lee Chul-Woo.
Lee is no stranger to political action. He participated in pro-democracy student rallies in the 1980s.
And when Yoon this week declared martial law, it immediately recalled memories of past abuses by South Korean military strongmen and their enforcers.
Lee said was beaten and arrested by soldiers, leaving a trauma that still gives him cold sweats and nightmares.
"Three investigators came at me, guns pointed. But I didn't even know what was going on. It was indiscriminate beating. It is to break your spirit. I was hit so hard that I started seeing flashes of light."
:: December 4, 2024
Yoon this week stunned the nation with a late-night surprise declaration of martial law, branding his critics as North Korean or communist sympathizers.
The move drew an immediate surge of opposition. Demonstrators raced to the parliament where they faced down soldiers. Lawmakers inside voted to reject the martial law declaration.
Hours later Yoon lifted the declaration.
:: December 6, 2024
Now he is facing calls of impeachment and prosecution.
LEE: "I felt relief when I heard that the martial law had failed, but every time I hear about martial law, it brings back those memories. It reminds me of the human rights abuses I experienced. Back then, I kept running away when martial law was declared."
Lee is determined to put himself on the line to protect South Korean democracy.
LEE: "Now that I'm over 70, I feel I've lived long enough. Young people shouldn't have to sacrifice themselves. People like me should sacrifice. We should be sacrificed."
Lee has been going to protests calling for Yoon's impeachment in the past few days.
LEE: "If a coup happens again, I will go to the National Assembly and do my best. That's the way to save the country."
