The head of the country now faces impeachment
South Korean President Yun Seok-yul On December 3, he announced the introduction of a state of emergency. He accused the opposition of anti-state activities.
Clashes between citizens and law enforcement officers began in Seoul. However, the tense situation did not last long – the South Korean parliament voted for a resolution to lift martial law.
ТСН.ua has collected everything that is known about the conflict in North Korea.
Martial law in South Korea
South Korean President Yoon Seok-yul announced a state of emergency on December 3, yna.co.kr reported. The head of South Korea accused the opposition of anti-state activities.
During his address to citizens, he said that he would “restore a free and democratic country through martial law.”
“In order to protect liberal South Korea from threats from communist forces in North Korea and to eliminate anti-state elements, I am declaring a state of emergency martial law,” the president said in a live televised address to the nation, the Korea Times reported.
The president hoped to “root out such anti-state forces and those who are destroying the country that have been committing evil acts.” He said the move would guarantee the people's freedom, security, and national resilience from anti-state forces seeking to overthrow the system.
“The declaration of martial law will cause some inconvenience to good citizens who have believed in and observed the constitutional values of free people, but we will focus on minimizing such inconvenience,” Yoon said.
Yun Seok-yul criticized the budget process, which proposes to cut spending on key government functions, including child care, security support, and the fight against drug trafficking.
According to the North Korean president, the Democratic Party has cut the 2025 budget by almost three billion dollars. The following areas were cut: disaster response, social assistance, and gas field development. In particular, the issue was about postponing a salary increase for the military.
During his address, the head of South Korea referred to Article 77 of the constitution. It states that martial law can be introduced “to meet military necessity or maintain public security.”
Background of the conflict
The last time martial law was imposed in South Korea was in 1979, following the assassination of President Park Chung-hee.
According to Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, the introduction of martial law in South Korea is solely due to their internal political events.
After the last general election, in which the opposition won a convincing victory, Yoon became a “lame duck” president (this is what they call a president who can no longer seriously influence the country's politics). Yoon's political force has 108 mandates out of 300, against 170 in the opposition Democratic Party. Thus, the president does not have enough votes to advance his laws, so he vetoes any bills proposed by the opposition.
In addition, Yoon's wife is accused of corruption and influence peddling, and prosecutors have been criticized for failing to conduct a special investigation into her.
This week, the opposition slashed the budgets proposed by the government and the ruling party. It is also calling for the impeachment of cabinet ministers, especially the head of the government audit agency.
In response, South Korea's president accused the opposition of cutting the budget, which is why he declared martial law. Neither the ruling party nor the opposition agreed with this.
Lee Jae Myung, leader of the Democratic Party, said that martial law was unconstitutional, while the head of the presidential party, Han Dong Hoon, called it a “wrong” step and promised to block it, BBC reports.
Under South Korean law, the government must lift martial law if a majority of the National Assembly so demands. The law also prohibits the arrest of members of parliament.
Clashes in Seoul
After martial law was declared, clashes broke out in Seoul, with clashes between the military and protesters.
According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, after Yoon's statement, the South Korean military announced the cessation of work in parliament and other political gatherings.
The South Korean army was put on alert, military equipment was visible on the streets of Seoul, and helicopters were circling in the sky.
Police and military blocked the entrance to parliament. Troops set up barricades near the main parliament building. In particular, many law enforcement officers entered the premises of the National Assembly.
Protesters on the street chanted “no martial law”, “no dictatorship”.
Due to martial law, the state has introduced control over the media, and medical interns must immediately return to work within 48 hours. Also, any political activity, strikes and rallies have been banned in the country. Violators of martial law could be arrested.
The South Korean defense minister subsequently ordered a meeting of commanders and called for increased vigilance amid the imposition of martial law.
In particular, the United States is in contact with the government of the Republic of Korea and is closely monitoring the situation,” The Guardian reported.
Martial law declaration invalid
South Korean parliamentarians have passed a resolution calling for the lifting of martial law, YTN and KBS News reported.
Hours after martial law was declared, National Assembly Representative Woo Won-seok called an emergency plenary session. South Korean parliament votes for resolution to lift martial law
“The declaration of martial law is now invalid,” Woo Won-sik said.
A representative of the National Assembly noted that the military and police who entered the National Assembly premises will immediately leave the National Assembly.
It should be noted that according to the Constitution of South Korea, martial law must be lifted when a parliamentary majority demands it.
As Far East policy and international relations expert John Nilsson Wright told Sky News, the South Korean president faces impeachment.
According to the expert, the South Korean president has taken a “wild gamble” in an attempt to “get out of the political impasse.” According to the expert, President Yoon has made his situation “much, much more difficult, if not impossible.”
“I suspect there will be attempts to remove him from power in the near future,” Nilsson Wright noted.
In particular, Wright noted that South Korean citizens were “stunned” by the news of the declaration of martial law, and some even believed that it was a “lie.”
“Unfortunately, this is all too real, and we will have to see what happens next in terms of the ability of the National Assembly to take immediate action,” the analyst said.
Recall that Ukraine recently tried to purchase weapons from South Korea, but received refusal.
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