South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol abandoned a short-lived attempt to impose martial law on Wednesday as lawmakers defied security forces to vote against his declaration and thousands of protesters took to the streets.
Yun’s surprise attempt to impose martial law, South Korea’s first in more than four decades, plunged the country into the deepest turmoil in its modern democratic history and unsettled his close allies around the world.
The United States, which has deployed about 30,000 troops to defend South Korea from the nuclear-armed North, initially expressed deep concern at the announcement, then expressed relief that martial law was over.
The dramatic developments also jeopardize the future of Yoon, a conservative politician and former star government prosecutor who was elected president in 2022.
South Korea’s main opposition party – whose lawmakers broke through fences and scuffled with security forces so they could vote to overturn the law – demanded that Yoon step down immediately over the attempted “rebellion.”
The country’s largest labor union also called for an “indefinite general strike” until Yoon resigns. And the leader of Yun’s own ruling party described the attempt as “tragic” and called for those involved to be held accountable.
Yoon backed down after voting against the announcement, which he made late Tuesday, citing the threat from North Korea and “anti-state forces.”
“Just moments ago, the National Assembly demanded the lifting of the state of emergency, and we deployed troops for martial law operations,” Yun said in a televised address at about 4:30 a.m. (1930 GMT). Has been withdrawn.” Tuesday).
“We will accept the request of the National Assembly and lift martial law through a cabinet meeting.”
Yonhap news agency then reported that Yun’s cabinet had approved the proposal to lift the order.
Senior aides working for Yun offered to resign en masse over the martial law declaration on Wednesday, Yonhap reported.
As of the beginning of the working day, Yoon had yet to appear in public again.
‘Impeachment’
The U-turn sparked jubilation among protesters outside parliament, who had braved the bitter cold and kept vigil overnight in defiance of Yun’s martial law order.
Protesters outside the National Assembly were waving South Korean flags and chanting “Arrest Yoon Suk Yeol”.
Lim Myong-pan, 55, told AFP that Yun’s decision to revoke martial law did not absolve him of wrongdoing.
“Yun’s act of invoking it without legitimate reason is a serious crime in itself,” Lim told AFP.
“With this he has paved his way to impeachment.”
Defying security forces, 190 MLAs managed to enter the Assembly early Wednesday and voted unanimously against martial law.
Under the Constitution, martial law must be lifted when a majority in Parliament demands it.
‘Anti-State’ elements
Yoon cited several reasons to justify martial law – the first in South Korea in more than 40 years.
“To protect liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements that rob the people of their freedom and happiness, I declare emergency martial law,” Yoon said in a televised address. “
Yun did not detail the North’s threats, but the South technically remains at war with nuclear-armed Pyongyang.
“Our National Assembly has become a haven for criminals, a den of legislative dictatorship that seeks to cripple the judicial and administrative systems and overturn our liberal democratic system,” Yoon said.
The president slammed the main opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in the 300-member parliament, as “anti-state forces intent on overthrowing the regime.”
Yun and his People’s Power Party are also at odds with the opposition over next year’s budget.
Opposition lawmakers approved a significantly reduced budget plan through a parliamentary committee last week.
Emergency martial law was imposed after Yoon’s approval rating dropped to 19 percent in the latest Gallup poll last week, with many expressing dissatisfaction over his handling of the economy and controversies involving his wife Kim Keon Hee.
anxiety, relief
Democratic South Korea is a key ally of the United States in Asia, but Washington said it was not informed in advance of Yun’s plan to impose martial law.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “We welcome President Yun’s statement that he will rescind the order declaring emergency martial law.”
“We hope that political disagreements will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.”
North Korea’s key ally China urged its citizens in the South to remain calm and exercise caution, while Britain said it was “closely monitoring developments”.
Vladimir Tikhonov, professor of Korea studies at the University of Oslo, said Yun’s move to impose martial law was “an attempt to reverse history”.
“I don’t think South Korea’s civil society can now recognize Yoon as the legitimate president,” he told AFP.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
