South Korea has been plunged since Tuesday into a power struggle unprecedented since the end of the military dictatorship four decades ago. Late last night, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared “emergency martial law” after accusing the opposition of sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government with anti-state activities. This measure was quickly responded to by opposition leaders, who despite the Army’s attempt to prevent the vote by entering the National Assembly, went to Parliament to pass a resolution forcing the President to revoke the measure.

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The South Korean president declared in a televised announcement that he intended to “eradicate the pro-Korean forces and protect the democratic constitutional order”. Yoon assured that “there would be no change in the foreign policy stance” and that he would fulfill his “responsibilities and contributions in the international community”; while at the domestic level this measure banned de facto political activities and demonstrations, in addition to the State taking control of the media.

The South Korean president, whose approval rating has fallen in recent months, has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022. Indeed, one of the issues that led him to make this decision was the parliament’s cutting of nearly $3 billion from his proposed budget for 2025 and fast-tracking a reduced budget bill, a move that has been described by the government as an attempt to block them.

In addition, the dismissals of the Audit Board chairman and the chief prosecutor could also be behind the announcement, as Yoon claimed they were part of an “insurgency plot” and a “clear anti-state act.” Separately, the South Korean leader also rejected calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife after allegedly accepting a $2,200 Dior handbag as a gift.

So South Korea came very close to an attempted coup yesterday???!!https://t.co/iwCrdNgUfk

— salka⁷ ᴴ⁴ᴾᴾ⁷💜 🇵🇸 (@twt_Salka) December 3, 2024

“I will eradicate anti-state forces and normalize the country as soon as possible,” Yoon said in his speech, which added that this martial law would ‘cause some inconvenience to the good citizens who believed in and followed the constitutional values of the free Republic of Korea’ but that he would ”focus on minimizing them.” “As president, I make a sincere appeal to the people. I will rely only on you, the people, and dedicate my life to protecting a free Republic of Korea. Please trust me,” he sentenced in the message to his citizens.

Yoon’s decision did not go down well even in his own party, and the current leader of the People’s Power Party, Han Dong-hoon (with whom Yoon has an internal feud), said minutes after the move was announced that “the declaration of martial law was improper.” “We will immediately demand the lifting of martial law at the National Assembly level,” he announced before the parliamentary vote.

The swift action of the South Korean Parliament has dismantled the president’s move. Or at least that’s what the South Korean Constitution makes clear, as Article 77 (5) states that “when the National Assembly requests the lifting of martial law with the approval of a majority of the registered members the President shall lift martial law.” The Office of the Speaker of the National Assembly has stated after the vote that “the declaration of martial law is invalid.”

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Thousands of people have gathered in the streets of Seoul despite the fact that the whole crisis has taken place in the early hours of the morning. Protesters gathered outside the parliament building, where police buses blocked the main entrance to the building. During the protests, slogans such as “lift martial law, protect democracy” and “dismiss the president” were heard. Yoon has not made any statement and we will have to wait until dawn to see if this crisis ends here or if there is still a new chapter to write.

-Thailand News (TN), Agencies