The US saw Donald Trump elected president in 2016 and again 2024. South Korea is seeing its president, though not same person, facing impeachment in both 2016 and this year. Is history repeating itself?

An intriguing online theory is gaining attention, claiming that South Korea is caught in a historical loop, eerily mirroring the events of 2016.

A viral post, along with numerous others sharing similar content, titled “foretold future” lays out a “parallel theory” linking the years 2016 and 2024.

While the link is groundless, the theory itself draws from real events that are or have taken place. South Korea’s opposition parties are to vote on a motion to oust President Yoon Suk Yeol, with the critical vote scheduled for this Saturday on Dec. 7.

On Dec. 9, 2016, then-President Park Geun-hye was impeached by parliament, and her removal from office was confirmed March next year by the Constitutional Court. Trump’s first presidential win was in November of 2016 and the second in November this year.

The theory also highlights similarities in cultural events as well.

South Korea placed eighth in gold medal rankings in the Summer Olympics in 2016 and 2014, the first one in Rio de Janeiro and in Paris this year.

A major news for e-sports fans, 2016 and 2024 both saw Korea's League of Legends team T1, led by gamer Lee Sang-hyeok, aka “Faker,” secure world championships.

Korean writer Han Kang won the International Booker Prize in 2016, the first major global recognition of her, and the Nobel Prize in Literature this year.

Additionally, the post also mentions the excitement and anticipation that Coldplay’s announcement of a Korean concert brought to local fans in 2016 and 2024. The UK band’s concerts, whose dates were announced earlier, took place in 2017 and 2025.