South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday, amid heated parliamentary debate over the budget. A decision deemed “illegal” by the leader of the opposition who called on the population to demonstrate.
“To protect liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korean communist forces and eliminate elements hostile to the state (…), I declare emergency martial law,” the president declared live in a surprise televised speech.
“Without concern for the livelihood of the people, the opposition party has paralyzed the government, for the purposes of impeachments, special investigations and to protect its leader from legal prosecution,” he continued.
All political activities have been banned and media are placed under government surveillance, Army Chief Park An-su said in a statement. Helicopters landed on the roof of the parliament building in Seoul, according to live footage broadcast by television channels.
South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung called martial law “illegal” and called on people to gather outside parliament in protest.
“President Yoon Suk Yeol’s illegal imposition of martial law is invalid,” said Mr Lee, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 election. “Come to the National Assembly now. I m ‘go there too,’ he added, urging citizens to join him in opposing martial law.
The United States said it was “monitoring the situation closely” in South Korea, while China called on its fellow citizens in South Korea to exercise “caution”.
“Criminals’ refuge”
Mr. Yoon’s People Power Party continues to battle with the main opposition Democratic Party over next year’s proposed budget.
Opposition MPs approved a significantly reduced budget program last week through a committee.
“Our National Assembly has become a refuge for criminals, a den of legislative dictatorship that seeks to paralyze the administrative and judicial systems and overthrow our liberal democratic order,” Yoon said.
He accused the elected representatives of the opposition of cutting “all budgets essential to the primary functions of the nation which are the fight against drug-related crimes and the maintenance of public security (…) transforming the country into a a drug haven and a place of chaos for public safety.”
Mr. Yoon went on to characterize the opposition, which holds a majority in Parliament, as “forces hostile to the state intending to overthrow the regime.” He assured that his decision was “inevitable”.
“I will restore normalcy to the country by getting rid of these anti-state forces as soon as possible,” added the South Korean president.
This article was automatically published. Sources: ats / afp
