A night of intense political crisis, riots and the imposition of martial law – which fortunately lasted a few hours before finally being lifted – the citizens of South Korea experienced. It all started when the country’s president Yoon Suk-yeol, through a surprise televised address, declared martial law late Tuesday night (local time), saying he wants to eliminate “the shameless, anti-state, friendly forces of North Korea.” . The surprise decision shocked the country, which has been considered democratic since the 1980s but has seen a series of authoritarian governments in the past.
“I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eliminate the vile, anti-state, pro-North Korean forces that are robbing the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order said Woon. Yun cited a motion the Democratic Party submitted this week to parliament calling for the impeachment of some of the country’s top prosecutors, as well as the party’s rejection of the budget bill.
In a televised address, President Yoon Suk Yeol said his decision to impose martial law in South Korea is supposedly critical for defending the constitutional order.
He also vowed to eradicate «anti-state forces,» without elaborating on what exactly is meant by that term.
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Scenes of chaos inside and outside Parliament
A few minutes later the army took action. He announced that parliament and political party activities were suspended with special forces surrounding the building in Seoul. However, hundreds of citizens quickly began flocking outside it to protest the imposition of martial law.
“Open the door, please. Your job is to protect the National Assembly. Why are you sitting idly by while MPs are being trampled on?” a man yelled at a group of police officers guarding the gates of the building, which has been sealed off, amid tension.
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung called martial law “illegal” and called on citizens to demonstrate outside parliament. “President Yoon Suk-yeol’s illegal imposition of martial law is invalid,” said Lee, who was narrowly defeated by Yoon in the 2022 election. “Come to the National Assembly now. I’m going there too,” he said online.
Yoon’s predecessor, Moon Jae-in, who is close to the ruling Democratic Party, said in a post on Platform X that Korean democracy is in crisis. “I hope the National Assembly will act quickly to protect democracy from collapse. I am asking the people to join forces to protect and save democracy and help the National Assembly function properly,” he added.
BREAKING: Television footage shows South Korean troops entering the main parliament hall.
It comes after the South Korean president declared martial law across the country in a surprise television address
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The opposition block and retreat
In the parliament with 190 of the 300 deputies present, a resolution was passed calling for the lifting of the martial law imposed by the country’s president. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik thus called the declaration of martial law “invalid”.
Finally, a few hours later, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol announced that he would lift martial law after parliament voted to repeal it. Military forces have withdrawn and the cabinet will meet soon on next steps, a newer statement said.
Why we were led to the government-opposition conflict
Yun’s People’s Power Party had been locked in a standoff with the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, over next year’s budget. Opposition MPs, who control parliament, approved a significantly reduced budget last week.
“The National Assembly has become a haven for criminals, a den of legislative dictatorship that seeks to paralyze the administrative and judicial systems and overthrow the liberal democratic order,” Yun said in justifying the imposition of martial law. He even characterized the opposition as “forces hostile to the state that intend to overthrow the regime”.
“I will restore order to the country by ridding it of enemy forces as soon as possible,” added the president, whose popularity in opinion polls is in freefall.
What does martial law provide?
Martial law was last declared on May 17, 1980, when General Chun Do-hwan seized power to fill the vacuum following the assassination of dictator Park Chung-hye. The next day, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Guangzhou to protest the coup. The protests were quelled in a bloodbath. Martial law remained in effect until January 1981.
During the period of martial law, the activities of political parties are suspended. Also, all media and publications are placed under the control of the military. Based on the decree, all actions judged to be attempts to overthrow the liberal democratic system, as well as the transmission of “fake news” and propaganda, are prohibited. According to the decree, those who violate martial law may be arrested and detained without a warrant.
