In a stunning move that threw the nation into turmoil, South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, invoked martial law on Tuesday only to ultimately end up reversing course hours later.
The decree, which brought temporary military control and the suspension of civilian government activities and civil liberties, marked South Korea’s first declaration of martial law since the country’s democratization in 1987. The last time that a South Korean leader declared martial law was in 1979 in the aftermath of the assassination of the president. Prior to that, there had been multiple instances.
Yoon’s late-night announcement prompted protests outside parliament, with some lawmakers trying to climb its walls, and intense criticism of Yoon for short-circuiting the country’s democracy.
South Korea’s parliament voted unanimously to block the president’s decree, declaring the move invalid, but martial law remained in effect. The following day, Yoon announced that he would lift martial law and withdraw troops. The Joint Chiefs of Staff then said that the deployed troops had returned to their original units. In the aftermath, Yoon’s cabinet approved the reversal.
The leader of Yoon’s party said that the ruling party feels “deeply sorry to the public,” adding that “the president must directly and thoroughly explain this tragic situation” and that those who called for martial law should be held accountable. Leadership within the opposition party took it further, demanding that Yoon “step down immediately.”
Why declare martial law?
Yoon indicated the move was necessary to counter North Korea, but the move appears to be at least partly political.
In a televised address, Yoon spoke of “anti-state forces,” saying martial law was necessary to eliminate them quickly and “normalize the country.” He criticized the country’s opposition politicians, responding to a series of political setbacks that have frustrated his agenda.
Yoon has suffered from low approval ratings this year and has been described by critics as a “lame-duck president,” as he holds the nation’s highest office without a majority in its legislature.
His conservative People Power Party lost the general election in April, in which the rival Democratic Party of Korea took 175 of the 300 seats in the National Assembly.
The opposition majority in parliament last week voted to cut almost $3 billion from Yoon’s 2025 budget, undermining his plans. The opposition has also tried to impeach three top prosecutors, The Associated Press reported. Yoon has also been involved in several scandals, including one in which the president’s wife was accused of manipulating stocks.
Even as he reversed his decision on martial law, Yoon continued to criticize people he sees as frustrating his agenda, requesting in a later address that the National Assembly “immediately stop its reckless actions that paralyze the functions of the state through repeated impeachment, legislative manipulation, and budget manipulation.”
What did it mean?
The decision to invoke martial law led to parliamentary activity being prohibited, according to the country’s government-funded Yonhap news agency. Anyone who violated the rules could be arrested without a warrant. The semiofficial South Korean news agency also said that media and publishers fell under the control of South Korea’s military.
The provisions of martial law also allowed for the suspension of certain civil liberties.
Amid these shifts, doctors in the country who have been striking for months in protest of the government’s plan to increase medical school admissions were compelled to return to work within 48 hours.
What has been the reaction?
South Korea is a key US ally in the Indo-Pacific region and home to roughly 28,500 American service members, as well as numerous civilian workers and dependents.
During the initial chaos, the US ambassador to South Korea, Philip Goldberg, said the embassy and State Department “are closely tracking President Yoon’s recent declaration of martial law,” adding that the “situation is fluid.”
The unexpected move, which is said to have caught the Biden administration by surprise, also alienated members of Yoon’s own party, which urged him to lift martial law.
Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the ruling People Power Party, said imposing martial law was “wrong” and that he would “stop it with the people.” South Korea’s main opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung, described the move as unconstitutional.
Yonhap said politicians from Lee’s party had been asked to congregate outside the country’s National Assembly.
Hours after Yoon declared martial law, live TV showed South Korea’s parliament passing a motion requiring the law to be lifted. Whether Yoon will comply with the vote, as the constitution requires, remained to be seen, though. There were reports at the time, however, that South Korean military personnel had withdrawn from parliament.
The US National Security Council said on Monday: “The administration is in contact with the ROK government and is monitoring the situation closely.”
On Wednesday morning local time in South Korea, Yoon announced that he would lift martial law and withdraw the military units enforcing it. The resulting turmoil of the initial decision may, however, still be felt for some time.
The value of the South Korean won against the dollar fell Tuesday to its lowest level since October 2022. Additionally, South Korean stocks, such as some holdings of the iShares MSCI South Korea ETF, and shares of companies like Coupang, KB Financial Group, and POSCO Holdings dropped as martial law went into effect.
The country’s stock market operator said it had yet to decide whether to open for trading on Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported.
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