President Yeol accused anti-state forces of attempting to wreak havoc in South Korea, placing the country under martial law for the first time in 50 years.
The past 24 hours have been quite a tumultuous ride for South Korea. In an act that has never been seen since 1979, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an emergency martial law in the country. Despite its border security problems with the neighbouring North Korea, South Korea has been regarded as a stable democracy in the East Asian region.
However, Yeol’s shortsightedness to instate martial law, the Parliament’s grit to get it rescinded within six hours, and the motion to impeach the President all coming together within a single day, has certainly tarnished its image of political stability.
Since assuming office in 2022, Yeol has expressed the difficulties the government is facing in implementing policies, as the Parliament is controlled by the opposition. In April of this year, the opposition won nearly 60% of the 300 seats in the National Assembly. Yeol has also been marred by accusations of corruption and has even expressed regret and apologised on behalf of his wife for allegedly and unlawfully accepting a luxury gift.
The couple also came under fire for supposedly exerting influence on the ruling conservative People Power Party to pick a particular candidate to contest in the 2022 Parliamentary by-election at the behest of election broker Myung Tae-kyun. Yeol maintained that he did nothing inappropriate.
Under the South Korean Constitution, martial law can only be declared during wartime, war-like situations, or other comparable national emergency states. While it is clear that Yeol was facing a tough time governing his country, none of these reasons have been cited for igniting the events of last night. The President simply declared that pro-North Korean political supporters were working towards destabilising the country. Dubbing them as ‘anti-state’ elements, Yeol said that the only way to protect Seoul from North Korea’s nuclear threats was to invoke a military rule.
Addressing the nation’s press, Yeol accused anti-state forces of attempting to wreak havoc in South Korea, placing the country under martial law for the first time in 50 years. Almost immediately, South Korean military troops surrounded the National Assembly Parliament, banning protests, and parliamentary activities and putting the media under state control.
Under the circumstances of suspended democratic rights and freedoms, Army Chief of Staff General Park An-su said that activities of the National Assembly, regional assemblies, political parties, the forming of political organisations, rallies, and protests had been banned. The politicians were quick to collectively condemn Yeol’s actions, declaring them illegal and unconstitutional.
The opposition, particularly, the Democratic Party, staying true to its name, called on MPs and citizens alike to gather around the National Assembly to protest this unlawful resurrection of dictatorship. There was an intense showdown between the armed forces and the public, where helicopters were circling the site and MPs were able to force their way into the barricaded Parliament.
In a fierce display to safeguard democracy, there were thousands of protestors opposing the military rule, with news outlets even recording a woman who had a gun pointed at her shouting “Aren’t you embarrassed?” to the uniformed officers. The opposition lawmakers also reported that they climbed over the fence to get into the Parliament building as the police officers were not allowing them to enter despite proof of identification.
190 members who were able to enter the Parliament, a figure much higher than the required 150, voted against the implementation of martial law in a 190-0 vote. After the vote, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declared martial law invalid and stated that “democracy will be protected by the people.”
After this disastrous attempt to threaten the country’s democratic fabric, the opposition, led by Lee Jae-myung demanded that Yeol step down from the position of President. The party also gave assurance that unless the President resigns immediately, impeachment proceedings were underway.
The Parliament is set to vote on this motion by Saturday. The Democratic Party also wants to charge Yeol and his advisors with ‘crimes of rebellion.’ Minister Kim Yong-hyun and Interior Minister Lee Sang-min have been named as key participants in the declaration of martial law. With strikes and protests continuing today, calling for Yeol’s arrest, senior leaders like Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk and National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik have handed in their resignations, but it is unclear whether they have been accepted.
Despite this massive outcry, the Presidential office has maintained that it was acting within the Constitutional framework. Yeol’s public approval which had hit an all-time low of a mere 17% this year has plummeted even further after this failed attempt to instate martial law, and it is unlikely that he will continue to stay on as President much longer. There was immediate damage to the country’s currency and markets, but while that will recover in no time, the political damage caused by such a parochial move can only be assessed in the forthcoming months and the elections that will follow.
