South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced the lifting of martial law overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, a few hours after proclaiming it, accusing the opposition of constituting “forces hostile to the state”.
This announcement aroused concern and disapproval around the world, particularly from the United States, Seoul's main ally against North Korea and China. The South Korean Parliament, dominated by the opposition, voted to lift martial law, directly opposing the president, under pressure from the military and supported by demonstrators who shouted “Stop Yoon Suk Yeol!”.
The government finally approved the lifting of this exceptional measure during the night, said the national Yonhap agency, shortly after a statement by the president on television which announced that the troops deployed in Seoul were going to return to the barracks.
“There was a request from the National Assembly to lift the state of emergency, and we withdrew the soldiers who had been deployed for martial law operations,” Yoon said. “We will grant the request of the National Assembly and lift martial law during a government meeting,” he added, immediately sparking cries of joy from the demonstrators gathered in front of Parliament.
“Yoon's imposition (of martial law) without legitimate reason is a serious crime,” said protester Lim Myeong-pan, 55. “He paved his own path to impeachment.”
The imposition of martial law earlier in the day meant the suspension of political life and the sealing of Parliament.
The opposition-dominated Assembly voted to lift martial law and declared the president's decision invalid, but the army stressed that it would only obey the president's decisions.
– American warning –
The United States, Seoul's privileged ally against North Korea and China, however said it hoped, in the evening, that Parliament's decision would be “respected”.
“We hope and expect that political differences will be resolved peacefully and with respect for the rule of law” in South Korea, said Kurt Campbell, deputy secretary of state.
The United Nations, the United States and the United Kingdom had expressed their concern, while China called on its fellow citizens in South Korea to be “cautious”. The Kremlin, which has strengthened its ties with North Korea to support its war against Ukraine, deemed the situation “alarming”.
The White House in Washington emphasized that it had not been informed in advance of the South Korean president's intentions.
Yoon Suk Yeol declared on Tuesday that he was declaring martial law “to protect liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korean communist forces and eliminate elements hostile to the state”, in a surprise televised address.
Helicopters had landed on the roof of the parliament building in Seoul, according to live images broadcast by television channels.
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung called martial law “illegal” and called on people to gather in front of parliament in protest.
The imposition of martial law by President Yoon Suk Yeol “is invalid”, declared the man who narrowly lost to him in the 2022 presidential election, calling on the population to come and demonstrate in front of Parliament.
“I decided to come here to protect democracy, not only for us but also for our children,” Lee Jin-hwa, 48, told AFP in the crowd.
Some 190 deputies managed to enter the Assembly, after being briefly prevented by soldiers who ended up leaving the premises. They voted unanimously in favor of a motion blocking the application of martial law and calling for its lifting.
– “Reversing the course of history” –
“The recourse to martial law almost looks like a gesture of desperation to try to get out of this, both on the political level and on that of general policy, but it is really badly played on both fronts”, estimated Alan Yu, former US diplomat in Asia who currently works at the Center for American Progress.
He noted that the South Korean president today was “a deeply unpopular leader.”
Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, also said Yoon's decision was an “attempt to turn the tide of history.”
“I don't think South Korean civil society can now consider Mr. Yoon as a legitimate president,” he said.
Mr. Yoon's People Power Party is battling 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 which seeks to paralyze the administrative and judicial systems and overthrow our liberal democratic order,” Mr. Yoon said to justify the establishment of martial law.
He had 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.”
