On Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, saying he wants to get rid of “anti-state forces” that he believes are leading the country toward disaster. This was the first time martial law was announced in South Korea since it became a democracy in 1987, and the last time it was enforced was in 1979.
After President Yoon’s announcement, the parliament quickly voted to cancel the martial law. This vote made President Yoon back down, and he lifted the martial law after a meeting with his Cabinet.
Yoon declared martial law because he felt he had no other choice to protect South Korea’s democracy. He accused opposition parties of taking control of the laws and pushing the country into a crisis. He stated, “I will eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and normalize the country,” asking the public to trust him despite “some inconveniences.”
Following his announcement, the military said that political gatherings that could cause trouble would be temporarily stopped. In South Korea, martial law can be canceled by a majority vote in parliament, where the opposition Democratic Party has more members.
The opposition criticized Yoon’s decision strongly. Even Han Dong-hoon, leader of Yoon’s own People Power Party, called the martial law choice “wrong” and promised to oppose it with the people’s help. Lee Jae-myung, the opposition leader who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, called the move “illegal and unconstitutional.”
Since taking office in 2022, Yoon has had a tough time passing his plans because the opposition controls the parliament. They are also trying to impeach the country’s top three prosecutors and are demanding an independent investigation into various scandals involving Yoon’s wife and other high-ranking officials.
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