An unexpected declaration which plunges the country into tumult. The President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, declared martial law in the country on Tuesday. “To protect liberal South Korea from threats posed by North Korean communist forces and eliminate elements hostile to the state […]I declare martial law,” the president declared live in a surprise televised address.
The situation in the country seems to be tense between the government in power and the opposition, even though martial law has not been established since the country's democratization process began at the end of the 1980s.
Why did the president declare martial law?
This decision to declare martial law comes at a time when South Korea is in the middle of a heated debate over the adoption of its budget – yes, like in France. The opposition, in the majority and of which the Democratic Party (center) is the main figure, approved a considerably reduced budgetary program last week. President Yoon Suk Yeol accused opposition elected officials of cutting “all budgets essential to the nation's primary functions, which are the fight against drug-related crimes and the maintenance of public security […] transforming the country into a drug haven and a place of public safety chaos.”
He even described the opposition as “forces hostile to the state” and said he wanted to protect the country from threats emanating from North Korea. “Our National Assembly has become a refuge for criminals, a den of legislative dictatorship which seeks to paralyze the administrative and judicial systems and to overthrow our liberal democratic order,” he further justified.
Immediate demonstrations at the call of the opposition
South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election, called martial law “illegal” and called on people to rally outside parliament as a sign of protest. Hundreds of people heeded his call, flocking to Parliament from 1 a.m. local time (5 p.m. French time), chanting “Stop Yoon Suk Yeol.”
Some 190 deputies managed to enter the Assembly, after being briefly prevented by soldiers who eventually left the premises. They voted unanimously in favor of a motion blocking the application of martial law and calling for its lifting. “Of the 190 deputies present, 190 spoke in favor of the resolution calling for the lifting of martial law, which is therefore adopted,” said National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik. The military has since reaffirmed its allegiance to the president.
What will change?
Martial law had not been used for more than forty years in the country, which underwent a process of democratization and liberalization at the end of the 19th century. It provides for the ban on all “political activities”. The media is under government surveillance, army chief Park An-su said in a statement.
Military helicopters landed on the roof of the parliament building in Seoul, according to live footage broadcast by television channels. The army finally let the deputies meet. But she assures that she “will enforce martial law until it is lifted by the president”, the general staff immediately reacted according to local media.
The international community is concerned
Subsequently, different countries reacted to the situation, generally with concern. “We are monitoring the situation very closely and with concern,” said Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, noting that he cannot make further comments on a situation that is “evolving rapidly”. “The situation is alarming. We are following it closely,” Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Interfax news agency.
“We are observing recent developments in South Korea with great concern,” commented Kurt Campbell, Deputy Secretary of State of the United States. We hope and expect that political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law. » The United States also said it was not informed in advance of the South Korean president's decision, and hopes that Parliament's vote to suspend martial law will be respected. In France, Emmanuel Macron, currently traveling in Saudi Arabia, has not made any comments for the moment.
