South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol declares martial law

SEOUL: South Korea’s parliament, with 190 of its 300 members present, passed a motion on Wednesday (Dec 4) requiring the martial law declared by President Yoon Suk Yeol to be lifted, live TV showed.
The parliament speaker said the martial law declaration by Yoon was invalid.
Yoon on Tuesday declared martial law in an unannounced late-night address broadcast live on national television, saying the step was necessary to protect the country from “communist forces” amid parliamentary wrangling over a budget Bill.
“To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements … I hereby declare emergency martial law,” Yoon said.
He did not cite any specific threat from the nuclear-armed North, instead focusing on his domestic political opponents.
“With no regard for the livelihoods of the people, the opposition party has paralysed governance solely for the sake of impeachments, special investigations, and shielding their leader from justice,” he added.
It is the first time since 1980 that martial law was declared in South Korea.
According to Yonhap news agency, the entrance to the parliament building was blocked.
It cited the military as saying activities by parliament and political parties would be banned, adding that under martial law, all medical staff, including trainee doctors, would have to return to work in 48 hours.
All media and publishers would also now be under the control of the martial law command. Additionally, those who violate the martial law can be arrested without a warrant.
 
Yoon cited a motion by the Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, to impeach some of the country’s top prosecutors and its rejection of a government budget proposal.
The president’s conservative People Power Party had been locked in an impasse with the Democratic Party over next year’s budget Bill.
He has also been dismissing calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife and top officials, drawing quick, strong rebukes from his political rivals.
Yoon accused opposition lawmakers of cutting “all key budgets essential to the nation’s core functions, such as combatting drug crimes and maintaining public security … turning the country into a drug haven and a state of public safety chaos.”
The president – whose approval rating has dipped in recent months – has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022.
The surprise announcement on Tuesday sent shockwaves through the country, which had a series of authoritarian leaders early in its history but has been considered democratic since the 1980s. The Korean won was down sharply against the US dollar.
 
The Biden administration is in contact with the South Korean government and is monitoring the situation closely, a White House spokesperson said.
Some 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea to guard against the North. A spokesman for the US military command did not answer repeated phone calls.
The Democratic Party reportedly called an emergency meeting of its lawmakers following Yoon’s announcement, with its leader Lee Jae-Myung calling Yoon’s martial law declaration “unconstitutional”.
Under the Constitution, the president can declare martial law in response to military needs during times of war, armed conflict, a national emergency, or when public safety and order require it.
However, with 170 seats in the 300-member National Assembly, the Democratic Party can revoke martial law with a majority vote.
The parliament will try to nullify Yoon’s martial law but the military may try to arrest members of parliament, Lee said, according to YTN television.
“Tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and soldiers with guns and knives will rule the country,” Lee said in a livestream online.
“The economy of the Republic of Korea will collapse irretrievably. My fellow citizens, please come to the National Assembly.”
The finance minister is set to convene an emergency meeting related to the declaration of martial law, while the defence ministry has ordered a meeting of key commanders, Yonhap news agency reported.
Yoon’s predecessor, Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party, said in a post on X that the country’s democracy is in crisis. “I hope that the National Assembly will act quickly to protect our democracy from crumbling,” he wrote in a post.
“I ask the people to join forces to protect and save democracy and to help the National Assembly function normally.”