In South Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol imposes martial law amid political crisis with the opposition

INTERNATIONAL – « I declare emergency martial law”. It was with these words spoken live during a surprise televised address that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol captured the world's attention in the space of a single sentence.

Considering this measure necessary to protect the country from “ North Korean communist forces » and for “ eliminate elements hostile to the State”, the South Korean head of state made this statement in the context of an eruptive parliamentary debate on the budget, with the opposition. A stormy cohabitation, since the People's Power Party of Yoon Suk Yeol does not have a majority in the Assembly, unlike the main opposition party, the Democratic Party.

To explain this radical measure – the effects of which on democracy in the country are still unclear – the president clearly pointed the finger at the main opposition force, which approved a considerably reduced budget program last week.

“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 said live. “Our National Assembly has become a refuge for criminals, a den of legislative dictatorship which seeks to paralyze the administrative and judicial systems and overthrow our liberal democratic order. »

Blocked decree and withdrawal of military personnel

As stated The Guardianbased on the South Korean president's full statement, he clearly accused the opposition of controlling parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government with activities deemed anti-state in order to trigger martial law .

A worrying speech, which continued when he described the opposition, which holds a majority in parliament, as “forces hostile to the state intending to overthrow the regime”. He also assured that his decision was ” inevitable ” and that he “ would restore normalcy in the country by getting rid of these hostile forces as soon as possible.”

According to the South Korean agency Yonhap, the establishment of martial law has already led to the banning of all political activities in the country and the sealing of parliament. Furthermore, Reuters reports that “strikes, work stoppages and rallies that incite social chaos” are also prohibited. The decree also prohibits “attempt subversion” and prohibits the dissemination of “fake news” and the “manipulation of public opinion”.

Since this announcement, the first military activities have been spotted in the capital Seoul, where helicopters have landed on the roof of parliament. And while the special forces were trying to enter the building, some of the parliamentarians voted 190 (out of 300) for “ invalidate » the decree establishing martial law, as reported by CNN. The announcement of this vote also caused the almost immediate withdrawal of the soldiers who were trying to enter the parliament grounds.

Rally in front of parliament

More than worrying, this situation provoked initial international reactions, starting with that of the United States. Washington soberly indicated “monitor the situation closely” and be “ in contact with the Government of the Republic of Korea »as specified in a press release from the spokesperson for the National Security Council of the White House. For its part, China invited its fellow citizens “ to caution ».

As for the leader of the South Korean opposition, Lee Jae-myung, he immediately judged this measure “illegal », calling on the population to gather in front of parliament in protest: “Come to the National Assembly now. I’m going there too.” A progressive figure, unlike conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, Lee Jae-myung narrowly lost the last presidential election in 2022.

According to South Korean television, hundreds of demonstrators have already responded to his call and are starting to flock to parliament. Where the situation is particularly chaotic in the middle of the night.

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