President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea declared martial law on Tuesday night, accusing the opposition of “trying to overthrow the free democracy.” But about five hours later, he said he would lift the declaration, bowing to pressure after the National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution demanding that it end.
“I will lift martial law as soon as we have a quorum in the cabinet. It’s early in the morning, so we don’t have a quorum yet,” Mr. Yoon said in an address. He called on the legislature to “immediately stop the outrageous behavior that is paralyzing the functioning of the country with impeachments, legislative manipulation and budget manipulation.”
It was the first martial law declaration in more than four decades in South Korea, which saw the end of a military dictatorship in the late 1980s. Mr. Yoon, who was elected president in 2022, has been in a near-constant political standoff with the opposition, which controls Parliament, and his government has faced plunging public approval ratings.
In his speech declaring martial law late Tuesday, Mr. Yoon said he was making the move to “defend the free Republic of Korea from the threats of North Korean communist forces and to eradicate the shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people and to protect the free constitutional order. Through this emergency martial law, I will rebuild and defend the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into ruin.”
What does the martial law declaration mean?
The country’s constitution states that the president may proclaim martial law when “required to cope with a military necessity or to maintain the public safety and order by mobilization of the military forces in time of war, armed conflict or similar national emergency.”
Army Gen. Park An-Su, who was appointed martial law commander by Mr. Yoon, banned “all political activities,” including political party activities and citizens’ rallies. “All news media and publications are under the control of martial law command,” General Park said.
His edict also banned labor activities and spreading “fake news.” Those who violate the decree can be arrested without a court warrant, it said. According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, the martial law command says all media and publishers are to be under its control, and orders all medical staff including trainee doctors, many of whom have been on strike, to return to work in 48 hours. Those who violate the martial law can be arrested without a warrant.
Who is Yoon Suk Yeol?
Mr. Yoon, a former prosecutor, won an extremely close presidential election in 2022, bringing the country’s conservatives back to power with calls for a more confrontational stance against North Korea and a stronger alliance with the United States. He replaced President Moon Jae-in, a progressive leader who served a single five-year term, and by law could not run again.
When he was sworn in to office in May of that year, Mr. Yoon vowed to stand for values including freedom and liberal democracy.
Soon after he was elected, however, Mr. Yoon began turning to lawsuits, state regulators and criminal investigations to clamp down on speech that he called disinformation, efforts that were largely aimed at news organizations. Police and prosecutors repeatedly raided the homes and newsrooms of journalists whom his office has accused of spreading “fake news.”
In April, Mr. Yoon’s People Power Party suffered a stinging defeat in parliamentary elections, giving the opposition a huge majority. He became the first South Korean president in decades to contend with an opposition-controlled Parliament for his entire time in office.
How did South Korea’s political parties react?
Han Dong-hoon, the leader of Mr. Yoon’s own People Power Party, said the declaration of martial law is “wrong” and that he will “block it,” South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.
Lee Jae-myung, the South Korean opposition leader, recorded a video in a car on his way to the National Assembly, asking citizens to congregate there. “There is no reason to declare martial law. We cannot let the military rule this country,” he said. “President Yoon Suk Yeol has betrayed the people. President Yoon’s illegal declaration of emergency martial law is null and void. From this moment on, Mr. Yoon is no longer the president of South Korea.”
Lee Jae-jung, a South Korean lawmaker who is a member of the Democratic Party, wrote on Facebook that she was making her way to the National Assembly. “We will stop this at all costs,” she said.
Broadcasts by state news media showed soldiers and police officers pushing against citizens trying to enter the National Assembly building as protesters shouted, “End martial law! End martial law!”
How could martial law be lifted?
Under South Korean law, martial law can be lifted with a majority vote in the parliament, where the opposition Democratic Party holds a majority. When “the National Assembly requests the lifting of martial law, the President shall, without delay, do so and announce it,” the law states.
Live footage from the National Assembly showed that some lawmakers seemed to be holding an emergency meeting held by Woo Won-shik, the speaker of the National Assembly.
Mr. Woo later said President Yoon’s declaration of martial law had become “null and void” after the assembly adopted a resolution demanding its lifting.
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