“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.
“Open the door!”
Hundreds of people heard his call and began to flock to Parliament around 1 a.m. (4:00 p.m. GMT), according to television images.
“Open the door, please. Your job is to protect the National Assembly. Why do you stand idly by while MPs are trampled?” a man shouted at a group of police guarding the doors of the building placed under seal.
Members of South Korean special forces were trying to enter Parliament at the same time, according to television.
The United States and the United Kingdom said they were “monitoring the situation closely”, while China called on its fellow citizens in South Korea to exercise “caution”.
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.
“Criminals’ refuge”
“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.
Martial law had not been imposed in South Korea since the democratization process that began in the late 1980s, including periods of high tension, such as in 2016, when millions of demonstrators obtained the dismissal of the President Park Geun-Hye, amid a corruption scandal.
It was last decreed on May 17, 1980, during the military coup of General Chun Doo-hwan.
The next day, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Gwangju (South-West), a traditional center of protest, to protest against the coup. Mr. Chun wanted to fill the power vacuum after the assassination of dictator Park Chung-hee. The demonstrations were repressed in a bloodbath.
Martial law was lifted in January 1981.
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