The unexpected declaration of emergency martial law by the president of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeolwith the argument that the main opposition bloc has become a “pro-North Korean force”, comes after a series of tensions between both formations and with the president at a low level of popularity. In a televised statement, Yoon announced the measure to protect the “constitutional order” from alleged “anti-state” activities of the Democratic Party (PD), the leading opposition force in the Seoul National Assembly. Thousands of people have gathered in front of the legislative headquarters to protest against martial law and demand Yoon’s resignation, while South Korean troops tried to take the legislative branch under that emergency measure.
The surprising announcement comes after the PD, which has a majority in the National Assemblythe South Korean Parliament, approved without the support of the ruler People Power Party Yoon’s (PPP) general budgets for 2025 with multiple clippingsin addition to motions to dismiss the attorney general and the person in charge of the Audit and Inspection Board, in charge of monitoring the accounts of public organizations. About the general budgets cut for this year, Yoon denounced that they would undermine the “essential” functions of the Government, including the prevention of drug-related crimes and public safety measures, leading the country, he said, to become a “paradise for drugs.”
Yoon’s presidency was greatly weakened since the opponent Democratic Party He won the legislative elections last April and, since then, his Government has not been able to carry out the laws it had proposed. Yoon himself justified in his televised speech that since he was sworn in in May 2022, there have been 22 impeachment proceedings against members of his Government, with the opposition promoting its tenth attempt since the National Assembly resumed after the legislative elections. The conservative president said that the situation is “unprecedented” in the country’s history and in global politics, alleging that the actions have undermined the management capacity of the Executive.
The declaration of martial law, whose revocation was voted this evening by the National Assembly in an extraordinary session with 190 votes in favor – which according to the South Korean Constitution forces the president to withdraw it-, it occurs with the lowest rate of popular support of Yoon throughout his mandate. According to data from the Gallup Korea polling agency at the beginning of November, his popular approval fell to 17% and his negative rating reached an all-time high at 74%. Likewise, the survey reflected that support for the opponent Democratic Party It rose four points, to 36%.
The reasons that explain these low levels of popularity are several, such as the handling that has been made of the accusations directed at the first lady, Kim Keon-heethe situation of the economy or the lack of communication on the part of the president. His wife has faced criticism over accusations related to her acceptance of a luxury bag for a supposed favor treatmentthe stock manipulation and his involvement in the interference in candidate nominations of the ruling People’s Power Party ahead of the April elections. Yoon went so far as to publicly apologize amid the controversies surrounding the first lady, saying, “I think the president’s role is not to make excuses. This is all due to my own shortcomings and lack of virtue.”
Martial law has three precedents in this country in the last 50 years. After carrying out a military coup in 1961, Park Chung-hee He was elected president in 1963 and re-elected in 1971. A year later, when his popularity began to decline, he decided to declare martial law and approve a new authoritarian constitution that would be in effect until shortly after his assassination in 1979. His successor, Chun Doo-hwanresorted to the same measure in 1980, provoking as a reaction the so-called uprising in the city of Gwangjuwhere the army is estimated to have killed around 600 civilians. And in 2018, the general Lee Suk-kooattempted to impose martial law through a plan proposed by military intelligence to end protests against the former president Park Geun-Hyeaccused of corruption. However, the then president, Moon Jae-indismissed the general and the measure was never applied.
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