Dear John,

Though half a world away, the events in South Korea last week should give us hope.

In case you weren’t following — last Tuesday South Korea’s right-wing President attempted to shut down his country’s democracy and impose a dictatorship on his fellow citizens by declaring martial law. Under the pretense of rooting out North Korean communist sympathizers, President Yoon Suk Yeol sought to bring the free press under his direct control, ban political activities and any gatherings “that incite social unrest.”

And perhaps most alarmingly, soldiers surrounded the National Assembly at President Yoon’s direction to prevent lawmakers from convening.

What happened next is what I find so inspiring.

Instead of submitting to this power grab, everyday Koreans rose up to challenge their president and fight for their democracy. They rushed to the National Assembly by the thousands, facing armed soldiers who could very well have fired on their fellow citizens. Instead, the will of the people prevailed over the possibility of political violence, and the protesters were able to help lawmakers scale the fences and enter the Assembly without being fired upon.

Once convened inside the Assembly, lawmakers of all parties — including President Yoon’s — voted unanimously to repeal the declaration of martial law. In other words, they saw past their partisan differences to put the interests of their country and democracy ahead of any other consideration.

Faced with the united front of Korean citizens from every walk of life and their democratically elected lawmakers, President Yoon gave in and withdrew his declaration of martial law.

He now faces impeachment and potentially removal from office.

In these tough times, with the rise of authoritarians across the globe and our own president-elect promising to “be a dictator on day one” of his administration, we should take heart in the example of those willing to do whatever it takes to fight for and preserve their democracy.

Beto