South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law Tuesday and banned “all political activities” in the southeast Asian nation, setting off shockwaves around the world and prompting an immediate vote to reverse the order from members of parliament.
Yoon delivered an address announcing his declaration of martial law to root out purported North Korean forces and sidestep legislative gridlock from political opposition that he likened to a dictatorship, the Korea Times reported.
“Dear citizens, I declare emergency martial law to defend the free Republic of Korea from the threats of North Korean communist forces and to eradicate the shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people and to protect the free constitutional order,” Yoon said.
Yoon did not specify the North Korean activities he was referring to. His declaration has been roundly condemned, including by his predecessor Moon Jae-in of the progressive Democratic Party.
“I hope that the National Assembly will act quickly to protect our democracy from crumbling,” he said on X.
It is the first time martial law has been declared in South Korea since 1980, prior to the country becoming a full-fledged democracy. South Korea is universally considered a democratic nation and it remains unclear how its institutions will hold up under significant pressure.
Protests started outside the South Korean parliament shortly after Yoon’s announcement as lawmakers sought to quickly end what appeared to be a consolidation of power by the president. Some protesters could be seen shouting “withdraw emergency martial law!” and calling to arrest Yoon for the declaration.
Police and soldiers went to the parliamentary building in Seoul to prevent protesters from entering, with clashes playing out on live television and videos circulating widely on social media.
The National Assembly convened for an emergency session to vote for a resolution to lift the martial-law declaration as elected officials tried to figure out the appropriate response. National Assembly speaker Woo Son-shik deemed Yoon’s martial law declaration “null and void” after the assembly vote and demanded soldiers and police leave the assembly area.
Yoon was first elected president narrowly in 2022 on a conservative platform of increased hostility to North Korea and closer ties to the U.S., a longtime ally of South Korea. He has attempted to crack down on “disinformation” by going after news organizations and journalists.
Much of Yoon’s tenure has been defined by conflict with political opposition who remain in control of parliament. The South Korean constitution gives the president the authority to declare martial law in wartime situations and other war-like emergencies. Parliament can lift martial-law declarations with a majority vote, a threshold parliament cleared easily with a unanimous vote.
Yoon appointed general Park An-Su martial law commander to ban “all political activities” and give the state control over all news media. Violators of the general’s martial law decree can be arrested without a warrant. Parliamentary activities and political party behavior fall under the martial law decree.
Han Dong-hoon, the leader of Yoon’s People Power Party, voiced opposition to martial law and vowed to “block it” from taking place, South Korean media reported. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung also came out strongly against it and said she would do everything she could to stop it.