South Korean President Jun Sok-yol announced on Wednesday night local time, that he will abolish martial law in accordance with the request of Parliament. He will do so according to his own words after the necessary approval of the government. TASR informs about it according to the Reuters and AP agencies.
According to the Jonhap agency, already the government met shortly after the president’s announcement and approved the proposal to abolish martial law. The President also stated in a televised appearance that the government withdrew military units deployed after the declaration of martial law. According to the AFP agency, the participants of the protests started to celebrate in the streets shortly after Jun’s announcement.
Jun declared martial law on Tuesday night, saying he wanted to protect the democratic constitutional order. He accused the opposition, which has a majority in the parliament and makes it difficult for his government to enforce the program, of anti-state activities and sympathies towards North Korea.
Less than three hours later, the parliament approved by a majority of votes the proposal to cancel the presidential decree. According to the South Korean constitution, the president must revoke martial law in such a case.
The president’s decision was criticized by the opposition, but also by several members of his own party. The president’s surprising announcement came at a time when his party and the opposition cannot agree on next year’s budget. The opposition MPs are demanding a significant reduction in expenses, which the president described as a threat to the basic functioning of the state administration.
