German actor Thomas Kretschmann expressed his concerns to the Korean people, criticizing President Yoon Seok-yeol for declaring martial law and causing confusion among the public. On the 8th, through his social media, Kretschmann shared his thoughts by posting, “these are set photos from ‘Taeksi woonjunsa’(A Taxi Driver) 2017, a film about South Korea‘s past, …at least, that’s what I thought,” along with stills from the movie “A Taxi Driver.”
Thomas Kretschmann, who is originally from East Germany, became successful as an actor in West Germany after a perilous journey across four borders at the age of 24. He gained international recognition with his outstanding performance in Roman Polanski’s film “The Pianist” and received favorable attention in Korea for his role in “A Taxi Driver.”
In “A Taxi Driver,” Kretschmann played the role of Jürgen Hinzpeter, a character based on the real-life German journalist who reported on the realities of the Gwangju Uprising to the world. Despite the strict media control during the 5.18 incident, he entered Korea disguisedly as a tourist, took a taxi to Gwangju, and delivered a powerful performance portraying the tragic events there, leaving a deep impression on 12.18 million viewers.
Kretschmann expressed his shock over President Yoon’s declaration of martial law, which reminded him of the scenes he shot during “A Taxi Driver.” He expressed his sincere worries, lamenting that the martial law, once a part of history, had resurfaced in the present.
On the night of December 3rd, President Yoon declared a state of emergency. By 1 AM, with all 190 members of the National Assembly present, a resolution requesting the lifting of the martial law was passed with unanimous consent. After approximately six hours, at 4:27 AM on December 4, President Yoon announced the revocation of the martial law through a live broadcast.
On December 7th, the National Assembly failed to pass an impeachment motion against President Yoon due to insufficient quorum, indicating the possibility of prolonged political turmoil.