Rightwing president backs down after most serious challenge to country’s democracy since the 1980s
South Korea’s rightwing president has been forced to back down after he
unexpectedly declared martial law only to face unanimous opposition from the
national assembly, in the most serious challenge to the country’s democracy since
the 1980s.
President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late on Tuesday amid a dispute with
opposition parties he accused of pro-North Korean sympathies and anti-state
activities.
But after some of the tensest hours in the country’s recent history, Yoon said troops
would return to their barracks, and the order would be lifted following a cabinet
meeting.
“Just a moment ago, there was a demand from the national assembly to lift the state
of emergency, and we have withdrawn the military that was deployed for martial
law operations,” Yoon said in a televised address early on Wednesday morning.
South Korea’s rightwing president has been forced to back down after he
unexpectedly declared martial law only to face unanimous opposition from the
national assembly, in the most serious challenge to the country’s democracy since
the 1980s.
President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late on Tuesday amid a dispute with
opposition parties he accused of pro-North Korean sympathies and anti-state
activities.
But after some of the tensest hours in the country’s recent history, Yoon said troops
would return to their barracks, and the order would be lifted following a cabinet
meeting.
“Just a moment ago, there was a demand from the national assembly to lift the state
of emergency, and we have withdrawn the military that was deployed for martial
law operations,” Yoon said in a televised address early on Wednesday morning.
However, there were no signs that South Korean society would comply after decades of
democracy. Local media reported on the protests and the political developments,
while the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Federation of Korean Trade
Unions called emergency meetings to discuss going on strike.
Hundreds of protesters had earlier gathered outside the National Assembly building
following Yoon’s announcement that he was acting to eradicate “shameless North Korean anti-state forces”.
The crowd in Seoul cheered when the national assembly voted to reject his decree
and called for Yoon’s arrest, chanting “Abolish martial law” and “Oppose martial
law”. Helicopters circled overhead as armed officers had marched on and attempted
to force entry into the building, where parliamentary stars attempted to push
them back with re-extinguishers to allow MPs to convene to vote down the decree.
The declaration of martial law move drew immediate opposition from politicians,
including the leader of Yoon’s own conservative People Power party, Han Donghoon, who called it “wrong” and vowed to “stop it with the people”.
Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the opposition Democratic party, which has a majority
in parliament, said in a livestream online: “Tanks, armoured personnel carriers and
soldiers with guns and knives will rule the country. The economy of the Republic of
Korea will collapse irretrievably. My fellow citizens, please come to the National
Assembly.”
Yoon is known for labelling his political opponents “anti-state forces” and “fake
news”. His administration, which took over in May 2022, has massively stepped up
the use of defamation lawsuits against the press.
He has also been locked in an impasse with the liberal opposition Democratic party
over next year’s budget and drawn rebukes from his political rivals for dismissing
calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife and top
ocials, but had not hinted that he intended to declare martial law.
A spokesperson for the US National Security Council also said that the US was not
noticed in advance of Yoon’s plans. “We are seriously concerned by the
developments we are seeing on the ground,” the spokesperson said.
In his announcement, Yoon said he had no choice but to resort to such a measure to
safeguard free and constitutional order, claiming opposition parties had taken
hostage of the parliamentary process to throw the country into a crisis.
“I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North
Korean communist forces to eradicate the despicable 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 cite any specific threat from the nuclear-armed North, instead focusing
on his domestic political opponents. Several protests have been against Yoon
recently, with some calling for his impeachment. His approval rating recently
fell to a record low of 19%.
South Korea’s constitution states that the president, who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces, may declare martial law “in time of war, armed conflict or
similar national emergency”.
Moon Jae-in, the former president, said on Tuesday that the country was “in a
critical state” and called on the National Assembly to “quickly step in and protect
the democracy that is collapsing”.
The surprise move sent shock waves through the country, which had a series of
authoritarian leaders early in its history but has been considered democratic since
the 1980s. A taxi driver in Seoul who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal
said: “They’re using exactly the same methods they used in the Park Chung-hee and
Chun Doo-hwan eras … Whenever their regime is in crisis, they use war-mongering
and martial law to cover it up.”
Park and Chun were military dictators in South Korea between 1961 and 1988. “I
never imagined this would happen again,” the taxi driver said.
The Centre for Military Human Rights, an NGO, said that the declaration of martial
law was illegal and called the move “a declaration of war against the people of the
Republic of Korea.”
The group accused Yoon of staging a coup and called on the military to refrain from
using force against citizens.
On Monday, South Korea’s ministers had criticised a Democratic party move last
week to cut more than 4tn won (£2.2bn) from the government’s budget proposal.
Yoon said that action undermined the essential functioning of government
administration.
