Hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law, the National Assembly voted to reject it. Then president withdrew it following pressure from both MPs and citizenry.
President Yoon Suk Yeol made the declaration Tuesday night on live TV, listing reasons for his decision. He said he needed to protect Seoul from Pyongyang’s threats.
Suk Yeol, a former Prosecutor General for South Korea, also talked of anti-state and subversive elements that needed to be removed.
“To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements… I hereby declare emergency martial law,” he announced.
“This is an unavoidable measure to ensure the freedom and safety of the people and guarantee the sustainability of the nation against the unrest stirred by these subversive, anti-state elements.”
He also accused the National Assembly of cutting essential budgetary allocations, leaving public safety susceptible, and key state roles in dilemma.
“The National Assembly has also completely cut budgets essential for national operations, drug crime prevention and public safety, undermining the core functions of the state,” President Yoon Suk Yeol claimed in his televised address.
“This has left our citizens in a state of chaos with the nation becoming a haven for drugs and public safety collapsing.”
Martial law commander General Park An-soo said that all the National Assembly, local councils, political parties, and political associations, as well as assemblies, demonstrations – and all political activities were prohibited under the martial law.
Also prohibited were slowdows, strikes and all gatherings he said “incite social disorder.” The Martial Law Command will also control the media to weed out “any acts that deny or attempt to overthrow the liberal democratic system, as well as the dissemination of fake news, manipulation of public opinion, or false propaganda.”
Striking doctors and other health workers were given 48 hours to return to work or the face the martial law.
The commander warned that “violators of this proclamation will be subject to arrest, detention, and search and seizure without a warrant.”
The ruling People Power Party rejected the declaration of martial law, with its leader Han Dong-hoon describing it as “wrong.”
The latest development on this story is that President Yoon Suk Yeol has addressed the nation, delivering a televised speech in which he said he would lift the martial law. Cabinet was expected to sit to vote on lifting the martial law.
“In light of the National Assembly’s demand to lift martial law, I ordered the withdrawal of military forces involved in martial law operations,” he said.
“Although the meeting was convened right away, due to the early hour, we have not yet reached the required quorum for a decision. Martial law will be lifted as soon as the quorum is met.”
But protesters gathered outside the National Assembly building in Seoul insist that President Yoon Suk Yeol must be impeached.
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