On Tuesday, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol announced martial law to fight what he called “anti-state forces.” In a surprise TV speech, he said these groups were pushing the country toward disaster. This is the first time martial law has been declared since South Korea became a democracy in 1987; the last time was in 1979.
Shortly after his announcement, the South Korean parliament voted to lift the martial law. This forced President Yoon to withdraw his declaration during a Cabinet meeting.
Why did he declare martial law? Yoon said the situation was so serious that he needed to protect the country’s democracy. He accused opposition parties of holding the parliament hostage and claimed they were leading South Korea into danger. He stated, “I will eliminate anti-state forces quickly and bring back normalcy,” asking the citizens for their trust even if it meant dealing with some difficulties.
After Yoon’s announcement, the military said that political gatherings that might cause “social confusion” would be stopped. According to South Korean law, martial law can be lifted with a majority vote in parliament, where the opposition Democratic Party has a majority.
The reaction from opposing parties was immediate. The leader of Yoon’s own party, Han Dong-hoon, called the decision “wrong” and vowed to “stop it with the people.” Also, opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, labeled the martial law decision as “illegal and unconstitutional.”
Since he became president in 2022, Yoon has struggled with an opposition-controlled parliament. They’ve been at a standstill over next year’s budget plan. The opposition has also been trying to impeach the top three prosecutors. Alongside this, Yoon has faced criticism for not allowing an independent investigation into scandals involving his wife and top officials.
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