Following a dramatic night in which troops surrounded parliament and MPs voted to reject military control, the South Korean president bowed to political pressure and removed martial law that he had imposed on the nation hours earlier on Wednesday.
As he fights against opponents who control parliament and whom he accuses of having sympathies with communist North Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol, who seemed likely to be impeached for his actions, declared martial law late Tuesday in retaliation against the opposition. He also vowed to eradicate anti-state forces.
After the bipartisan decision to overrule the president, police and military troops were observed leaving the parliament grounds, and the declaration was formally withdrawn during a Cabinet meeting at 4:30 a.m.
Following the declaration of martial law, Parliament moved quickly, with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik stating that the law was unconstitutional and that parliamentarians will defend democracy with the populace.
Martial law lasted almost six hours in total.
At a bus station in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, people watch a TV screen that broadcasts South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s televised briefing.Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo
The opposition and the head of Yoon’s own conservative party swiftly condemned the president’s unexpected action, which harked back to an authoritarian era the nation has not experienced since the 1980s.
The liberal Democratic Party, which controls the majority in the 300-seat parliament, is led by Lee Jae-myung. He stated that the party’s lawmakers will stay in the Assembly’s main chamber until Yoon formally revoked his directive.
Woo praised the troops’ prompt departure from the Assembly following the vote.
Our citizens have undoubtedly seen today’s events and witnessed the maturity of our military, despite our regrettable recollections of military takeovers, Woo remarked.
Yoon continued to attack parliament’s efforts to remove leading prosecutors and important government officials while announcing his intention to end martial law. He claimed that dishonest legislative and budgetary manipulation by lawmakers was impeding the state’s ability to function.
Democratic senator Jo Seung-lae asserted that security camera footage after Yoon’s declaration revealed that military appeared to be attempting to arrest Lee, Woo, and even Yoon’s People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon.
Early on Wednesday, inquiries for response from the Defense Ministry and Yoon’s office were not answered.
On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, in Seoul, South Korea, police officers stand watch in front of the National Assembly as people attempt to enter.Photo by Lee Jin-man/AP
Hundreds of demonstrators appeared in front of the Assembly, chanting for Yoon’s impeachment and brandishing placards.
Before the parliamentarians’ vote, a few demonstrators got into a skirmish with the army, but no serious injuries or significant property damage were reported at the time. Troops tried to enter the Assembly building, breaking at least one window. A woman shouted, “Aren’t you embarrassed?” as she made an unsuccessful attempt to remove a firearm from one of the troops.
The president of South Korea is authorized by the constitution to impose martial law in times of war, situations resembling war, or other similar national emergencies where the use of force is necessary to preserve peace and order. Whether South Korea is in such a position at the moment was questioned.
Special measures may be used to limit the power of courts, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and other liberties when martial law is imposed.
According to the constitution, if the National Assembly passes a majority vote calling for the lifting of martial law, the president is required to comply.
On Wednesday, December 4, 2024, a helicopter hovers over Seoul, South Korea’s National Assembly.Photo by Lee Jin-man/AP
According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, the military declared that parliament and any political meetings that can cause social confusion will be suspended once Yoon declared martial law. According to the military, anyone who disobeyed the order might be taken into custody without a warrant.
The White House in Washington stated that the events in Seoul were a major source of concern for the United States. According to a National Security Council spokesperson, President Joe Biden’s administration was in communication with the South Korean government and was not informed beforehand of the declaration of martial law.
The more than 27,000 American service troops stationed in South Korea were unaffected, according to Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder.
According to Yonhap, the South Korean military also ordered the nation’s striking physicians to report back to work within 48 hours. Due to government intentions to increase the number of students attending medical schools, thousands of doctors have been on strike for months.
The speaker of the parliament quickly called for all members to attend the National Assembly on his YouTube account once martial law was imposed. He asked law enforcement and military troops to maintain their composure and hold their ground.
The lifting of martial law was endorsed by all 190 lawmakers who took part in the voting.
Television images at one time showed helmeted soldiers with firearms in front of the National Assembly and police officers barring the building’s entry. Two or three helicopters circled over the Assembly site, and at least three helicopters, perhaps from the military, landed inside the grounds, according to an Associated Press photographer.
The conservative party head of Yoon referred to the decision to establish martial law as incorrect. Lee, who lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon by a slim margin, claimed that Yoon’s declaration was unlawful and unconstitutional.
In a televised speech, Yoon said that martial law would aid in reconstruction and keep the nation from plunging into a state of complete collapse. He pledged to uphold the constitutional democratic order and destroy pro-North Korean groups.
He urged the populace to have faith in him and put up with a few annoyances as he promised to eradicate anti-state groups as soon as possible and normalize the nation.
Since assuming office in 2022, Yoon, whose support rating has recently declined, has found it difficult to advance his agenda in a parliament controlled by the opposition.
Regarding the budget measure for next year, his party and the liberal opposition have been at a standstill. In what the conservatives have described as a vendetta against their criminal investigations of Lee, who has been viewed by pollsters as the front-runner for the 2027 presidential election, the opposition has also sought to remove three senior prosecutors, including the head of the central Seoul prosecutors office.
Yoon also characterized the opposition as blatant pro-North Korean anti-state forces who are robbing our folks of their freedom and happiness during his broadcast announcement. He didn’t go into detail.
In contrast to his liberal predecessor Moon Jae-in, who sought inter-Korean interaction, Yoon has adopted a tough stance against North Korea’s nuclear aspirations.
Political opposition have swiftly and sharply criticized Yoon for rejecting calls for independent inquiries into issues involving his wife and high-ranking officials.
Yoon’s action was the first martial law proclamation since the nation’s 1987 democratization. Following the assassination of former military ruler Park Chung-hee, the Korea experienced martial law for the last time in October 1979.
Yoon used the symbolic action to vent his frustration with the opposition-controlled parliament, according to Sydney Seiler, Korean chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Comparing Yoon’s approach to the American football Hail Mary pass, which has a very low likelihood of succeeding, Seiler stated that he had nothing to lose.
Yoon is now likely to be impeached, which was a possibility before to his audacious action, according to Seiler.
According to Natalia Slavney, research analyst at the Stimson Center’s 38 North website, which covers Korean politics, Yoon’s declaration of martial law was a significant democratic reversal that came after a concerning pattern of misuse since he assumed power in 2022.
Citing the example of former President Park Geun-hye, the nation’s first female president, who was removed from office and imprisoned for bribery and other offenses in 2017, Slavney stated that South Korea has a strong history of political pluralism and is accustomed to large-scale protests and swift impeachments.
According to Kim Tong-hyung of The Associated Press
Didi Tang, Matt Lee, and Hyung-jin Kim all contributed to this article.
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