On Tuesday night, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, leading to a confrontation with legislators and soldiers. However, in the early hours of Wednesday, the National Assembly voted down the decree, resulting in a tense standoff that ended with the president conceding defeat.
On Tuesday night, South Korea n President Yoon Suk Yeol sent shockwaves through the world by declaring martial law in the country.
By around 4:30am, armed forces had withdrawn and Yoon had publicly conceded that his attempt had failed. The order would be rescinded. It ended a short-lived but nevertheless major constitutional crisis of authority between the president and the National Assembly. This martial law decree also declared heavy restrictions on press freedom and an end to an ongoing strike by junior South Korean doctors.
The broader context to this decision is months of domestic political battles between the South Korean leader and the opposition-dominated National Assembly. Since transition to democratic rule in 1987, South Korea has made considerable progress in democratic consolidation, with a strong and engaged civil society.
On one hand, the successful opposition to Yoon’s martial law decree has demonstrated the democratic resilience of South Korea’s institutions and political culture.
South Korea Martial Law National Assembly Yoon Suk Yeol Constitutional Crisis