South Korea, martial law “will be lifted”: President Yoon’s announcement. Special forces abandon Parliament

The president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeoldeclared that emergency martial law “will be lifted” and troops withdraw. “The National Assembly called for lifting the state of emergency, and we withdrew the army that had been deployed for martial law operations,” Yoon said in a televised address. «We will accept the request of the National Assembly and We will lift the martial law through the meeting of the Council of Ministers.”.

The 190 lawmakers in the South Korean Parliament managed to enter the building where they voted unanimously to block President Yoon’s declaration of martial law and call for its revocation.

The story

The announcement of the institution of martial law was made as a surprise with a TV message broadcast shortly before 11pm (local time). South Korean President Yoon had motivated this by accusing the opposition of controlling Parliament, sympathize with North Korea and paralyze the government with anti-state activities.

«To safeguard a liberal South Korea from threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements… I hereby declare emergency martial law,” Yoon said in the televised address.

Yoon, in power since 2022 and who has seen his approval ratings drop significantly in recent months, had rejected calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife and senior officials, drawing harsh criticism from his rivals, an affair for which his opponents had called for his impeachment.

In his TV ad, Yoon had accused the opposition of «paralyzing the country’s courts and of wanting to cut 4 trillion won from the state budget (about 2.8 billion dollars) by defining Parliament is “a den of criminals”.

The Seoul media reported a meeting between the defense minister and all the leaders of the armed forces placed on maximum alert. Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul had also called an emergency summit. Politically the president appears increasingly isolated: also the People’s Power Party, of which Yoon is an expression, had defined the introduction of martial law as “wrong”. The president of the national assembly had immediately called an extraordinary session: the deputies present had immediately voted to lift martial law (172 opposition representatives and 18 pro-government representatives).

The Parliament was blocked by the police and othersOutside the assembly building they had exploded clashes between police forces and demonstrators. In one situation became increasingly tense and chaoticthe opposition had invited all citizens to demonstrate in the streets. Opposition lawmaker Hong Kee-won had reported to the Bbc That the special forces had entered the building, with andhelicopters flying over the area.

The enforcement and enforcement of martial law had been entrusted to General Park Ahn-soon, commander of the armed forces on the ground: in addition to the closure of parliament he was also the ban on all political parties was decreed. The right to strike is suspended and violators will be arrested. The media should also have been restricted.

According to the Korean Constitutionthe president may declare martial law in response to wartime military needs, armed conflict, national emergency or when security and public order require it. Martial law, however, can be lifted by a majority vote of Parliament. Since 1980, the date of entry into force of the current Constitution, it is the first time it has been introduced.

December 3, 2024 (modified December 3, 2024 | 9:28 pm)

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