South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol lifted martial law early Wednesday following political pressure from the National Assembly, who declared the law invalid and vowed to protect democracy. The president imposed martial law late Tuesday in a controversial move against the opposition.
A man shouts to demand South Korea n President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea , Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.
People were seen blocking a military vehicle as it tried to leave an area near South Korea’s parliament late Tuesday. Protesters gathered in front of the Parliament building after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, vowing to eliminate “anti-state” forces as he struggles against an opposition that controls the country’s parliament and that he accuses of sympathizing with communist North Korea.
Seemingly hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Assembly, waving banners and calling for Yoon’s impeachment. The constitution also states that the president must oblige when the National Assembly demands the lifting of martial law with a majority vote. The South Korean military also said that the country’s striking doctors should return to work within 48 hours, Yonhap said. Thousands of doctors have been striking for months over government plans to expand the number of students at medical schools.
Yoon said during a televised speech that martial law would help “rebuild and protect” the country from “falling into the depths of national ruin.” He said he would “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.” His party has been locked in an impasse with the liberal opposition over next year’s budget bill. The opposition has also attempted to impeach three top prosecutors, including the chief of the central Seoul prosecutors’ office, in what the conservatives have called a vendetta against their criminal investigations of Lee, who has been seen as the favorite for the next presidential election in 2027 in opinion polls.
Yoon’s move was the first declaration of martial law since the country’s democratization in 1987. The country’s last previous martial law was in October 1979, following the assassination of former military dictator Park Chung-hee.
South Korea Martial Law Yoon Suk Yeol National Assembly Opposition Democracy Communist North Korea
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