South Korea: President declares martial law – Parliament objects

State crisis in South Korea: President Yoon surprisingly declared martial law and sent soldiers to parliament. This rejected martial law – even the representatives of the presidential party.

South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol has declared martial law amid a dispute over the state budget. He announced this in a surprise televised speech.

In the speech, he accused the opposition of sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government through subversive activities. The declared state of emergency aims to “eliminate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional order of freedom,” said Yoon. He called on the population to trust him and accept “some inconveniences”.

Helicopter landed on Parliament

Chief of General Staff Park An Su said after Yoon’s speech that “all political activities,” including those of the National Assembly, local councils, political parties and political associations, as well as meetings and demonstrations, are strictly prohibited. All media and publications would be under the control of the Martial Law Command.

As the official Yonhap news agency reported, access to parliament in Seoul was blocked. Television footage showed helicopters landing on the roof of the building in the capital.

Criticism from within your own party

It was initially unclear how long Yoon’s state of emergency would last. Under South Korean law, such a measure can be overturned by parliament. In fact, that’s exactly what happened after the president’s speech. In a vote, the chamber called for martial law to be lifted, as seen live on television. 190 of the 300 MPs were present – they voted unanimously in favor.

The opposition had previously criticized the head of state’s measure as a violation of the constitution. Opposition leader Lee Jae Myung of the Democratic Party (DP) described the declared martial law as “unconstitutional” and unfounded, according to a Yonhap report.

Criticism also came from Yoon’s government itself. The chairman of the ruling conservative People Power Party (PPP), Han Dong Hoon, described martial law as “wrong,” according to local media reports. Han said they would “stop it together with the people.”

Multiple defeats in parliament

Yoon, who has been struggling with falling poll numbers for months, has struggled to push his agenda against the opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022. Yoon’s PPP is arguing with the DP over a budget law for the coming year. The responsible parliamentary committee approved a significantly slimmed down version of the draft budget last week.

The opposition also sought to remove three prosecutors from office. The conservatives described this as a campaign of revenge in view of investigations against DP leader Lee.

US government wants to monitor the situation

The US government said it was in contact with the government in Seoul about current events. A spokesman for the National Security Council said the US government was “closely monitoring the situation.” The US is South Korea’s main military ally and has 28,500 troops stationed there.