South Korea: President Yoon under pressure after his short-lived martial law

South Korea: President Yoon under pressure after his short-lived martial law
South Korea: President Yoon under pressure after his short-lived martial law

South Korea

President Yoon under pressure after his short-lived martial law

After briefly attempting to impose martial law on Tuesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol is under attack from all sides in South Korea.

Posted today at 3:04 a.m.

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“Resignation”, “accountability”: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has his back against the wall on Wednesday by the opposition as well as by his own party after trying on Tuesday to impose martial law, a measure he been forced to repeal under pressure.

Yoon Suk Yeol, whose popularity rating was already extremely low, announced the introduction of martial law during a surprise speech late Tuesday, accusing the opposition of constituting “forces hostile to the state.” It was in particular a conflict over the adoption of its budget in Parliament, where the presidential camp is in the minority, which ignited the powder.

When martial law was announced, army helicopters landed on the roof of parliament but MPs were able to meet in haste to pass a resolution demanding the repeal of the measure. Hundreds of demonstrators also gathered in front of parliament to demand the withdrawal of the text and the resignation of Yoon Suk Yeol.

Threat of impeachment

The imposition of martial law, a first in more than 40 years in the country, notably involved the suspension of political life as well as the closure of parliament and the placing under control of the media. This announcement generated concern and disapproval around the world, particularly from the United States, Seoul’s main ally against North Korea, and from China.

In South Korea, the main opposition party (Democratic Party) demanded the “resignation” of Yoon Suk Yeol and threatened to initiate impeachment proceedings against him if he did not submit it “immediately”.

“The president must explain this tragic situation immediately and in detail,” the head of his party, Han Dong-hoon, declared on television, stressing that “all those responsible will have to be held accountable.” The chief of staff of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and important collaborators “submitted their resignation en masse” in the morning, according to the national agency Yonhap.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the country’s largest union with some 1.2 million members, called for an “indefinite general strike” until Yoon Suk Yeol’s resignation, saying he had “signed his own end in power.

“Stop Yoon Suk Yeol!”

In the wake of the proclamation of martial law, Parliament met under pressure from special forces soldiers who attempted to enter the session room. In front of the building, sealed overnight, demonstrators shouted: “Stop Yoon Suk Yeol!”, noted AFP journalists.

Yoon Suk Yeol finally decided to announce the lifting of martial law and announced on television the withdrawal of troops deployed in the capital, sparking cries of joy from demonstrators.

At the request of the National Assembly, “we have withdrawn the soldiers who had been deployed for martial law operations,” Yoon Suk Yeol said at 4:30 a.m. local time (8:30 p.m. Swiss Tuesday). The army had indicated that it would only obey the president’s orders.

Unpublished since 1980

Late Tuesday, Yoon Suk Yeol in a surprise speech explained his choice to resurrect a law that was last activated in 1980, when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest a military coup. Demonstrations bloodily repressed.

In the context of difficulties in adopting the budget, Yoon Suk Yeol justified the measure on Tuesday by saying he wanted to “eliminate elements hostile to the state” and “protect liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korean communist forces.” . Among other things, he pointed out a “legislative dictatorship” and accused the elected representatives of the opposition of blocking “all budgets essential to the primary functions of the nation”.

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost the presidential election to Yoon Suk Yeol in 2022, described the measure imposed by him as “illegal” and called for demonstrations in front of parliament. The White House said it was unaware of Yoon Suk Yeol’s intentions.

The United Nations and the United Kingdom have also expressed concern, while China has called on its nationals in South Korea to exercise caution. Moscow, which has strengthened ties with North Korea over its war in Ukraine, deemed the situation “alarming”. Japan, for its part, said on Wednesday it was monitoring the situation with “exceptional and serious concern”.

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