Case study of civil resistance against 2024 martial law in South Korea

ICNC wishes to commission a Special Report on civil resistance against democratic backsliding in South Korea, culminating in resistance to the declaration of martial law and the subsequent impeachment and removal from office of President Yoon Sook Yeol. The Report will gather and analyze detailed information about the dynamics of civil resistance in the South Korean context. The years of primary focus for the Report would be 2022-2025, but some background information about previous resistance to democratic backsliding from 2009 onward, and how it informed events from 2022 to 2025, may also be included.

For examples of past case studies in this series, see these reports on Sudan and Pakistan.

ICNC Special Reports aim to bridge the gap between academic, policy and other practitioner communities. They draw on cutting-edge research to cover topics pertinent to ongoing policy discussions and practitioners’ debates related to civil resistance movements, grassroots campaigns and nonviolent struggles taking place around the world.

Special Reports are written for a non-academic audience, but are held to high academic standards, undergoing double-blind peer review prior to publication.

A grant awardee documents (through quantitative or qualitative methodologies or both) key information and examines and offers initial qualitative or/and quantitative analysis of at least some, though not necessarily all, of the below queries:

• the relationship of the selected case to other movements or acts of civil resistance within the country. For example, is the selected case a continuation of earlier mobilization that took place in previous years, or related to other mobilization that is going on simultaneously in other parts of the country?
• key actors, such as leaders or active members of the movement; its supporters, neutrals and opponents;
• how the movement emerged;
• how the movement developed: e.g., how it sequenced its movement-building actions as well as tactics to challenge its opponent;
• how the people in the movement organized themselves, made decisions, and coordinated (or failed to coordinate) their actions;
• why the movement made its particular strategic and tactical choices;
• documentation (for example, as a descriptive list, as images, as audio or video recording) of the particular civil resistance tactics a movement executed;
• how the movement decided on its short- and long-term goals;
• how the movement built unity and possible coalitions, and whether and how such unity and coalitions were maintained;
• if and how the movement attempted to reach out to neutral groups and the opponent’s allies to try to shift their positions, and with what results;
• how the movement gained knowledge of organizing techniques and strategies of civil resistance, and its methods of sharing this knowledge with—or training—its supporters;
• how the movement prepared for and faced repression, and the impact of that repression on the movement;
• how the movement maintained nonviolent discipline, and dealt with possible groups that engaged in violence;
• how the movement harnessed and managed various resources at their disposal: human; financial; material and non-material;
• if and how the movement chose to engage with external actors, and shifts in outside attitudes toward a movement;
• the movement’s achievements, if any, including reaching short-term goals and potentials for long-term impact.

Educators, scholars, practitioners, and writers who have substantive knowledge of civil resistance literature, demonstrated writing ability, and relevant research or practical experience are encouraged to apply. We are open to various evidence of eligibility, including but not limited to:

• academic and non-academic publications (journal articles, chapter, books, manuals, journalistic pieces, blog posts) related to civil resistance;
• completed coursework on civil resistance;
• curricular and teaching experience related to civil resistance;
• activist-related manuals and experience training on civil resistance;
• recorded public lectures and public speaking on civil resistance;
• interviews on civil resistance given to online media that were published, recorded, or aired;
• multi-year experience as an activist and organizer of nonviolent campaigns.

We particularly welcome applications from promising young researchers, scholar-practitioners, and educators who view the opportunity to write a special report as an important part of their in-depth reflection on civil resistance practice or scholarship. Preference is given to proposals from people whose research or writing ICNC has not supported in the past.

Grantee will:

• submit Special Report manuscript in English, 30-40 pages (8,000-16,000 words), that responds to edits from our editors and external peer reviewers;
• participate in an online launch event for the Special Report;
• write an article or blog post (800 to 1,200 words) to promote the launch of the new Special Report.

For this work, ICNC will award the grantee $5,000.

The final manuscript of the Special Report would be completed Spring 2026, with an intended publication date as early as June and no later than September 2026.

Interested applicants are asked to fill out the online application form and submit requested information, including a:

• Tentative Special Report title
• Special Report proposal (1,000-1,200 words),
• Proposed Table of Contents,
• Detailed CV, and
• At least one writing sample, preferably on some aspect of nonviolent civil resistance or social movements in general.

Specifically, in your proposal identify the main research questions, hypotheses, arguments and expected findings as well as explain the added value of your study to the scholarship and practice of civil resistance or its relevance for the outside actors whose work might benefit from an informed perspective on nonviolent movements and civil resistance.

Applications are due by the end of day, Thursday, December 11, 2025.

Apply today.