Why South Korea’s president declared martial law

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law across the country on Tuesday night, blaming “anti-state” activities by his political opposition.

Troops enforcing the order swarmed the National Assembly building in Seoul, under the first declaration of martial law in the country in more than four decades.

Following a majority vote against martial law in the nation’s parliament, the president announced he would roll back the decree and withdraw military forces.

National Assembly staff and troops clashed inside the building.Credit: AP

What is martial law?

Martial law allows a country’s military to substitute civilian rule temporarily in an emergency. It is usually invoked at a time of war, rebellion or natural disasters. In most cases, it gives the military unlimited powers.

South Korea’s constitution says the president can declare martial law when it is considered necessary to cope with a military threat or maintain public safety and order. The order has to be reviewed by national cabinet.

The president then appoints a martial law commander, who has the power to order arrests and searches, as well as crackdowns on assembly and the press.

General Park An-su has been appointed martial law commander by Yoon, and has banned all political activities and rallies. Trainee doctors, who were on strike, have been ordered back to work.

Park’s declaration also outlawed the spread of “fake news”, with news publications also falling under martial law command.

Masked troops equipped with rifles, body armour and night-vision equipment entered the National Assembly, where they faced off with staffers who opposed them with fire extinguishers.

Who is President Yoon Suk Yeol?

Yoon, a career prosecutor, was elected as president in May 2022 by a margin of less than 1 per cent.

In April, Yoon’s People Power Party experienced crushing defeats in the country’s parliamentary elections, giving the opposition Democratic Party a significant majority.

Yoon has been under pressure as the opposition repeatedly passed bills to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate alleged wrongdoing by his wife Kim Keon-hee, including allegations of stock price manipulation before his election. Yoon has repeatedly vetoed the bills.

Recently his popularity has been hovering at a dismal 20 per cent.

Why did Yoon declare martial law?

Yoon’s declaration was accompanied by an accusation that the opposition was engaged in North Korea-aligned, “anti-state activities plotting rebellion”. But he did not explain what that means and provided no specific evidence.

In his announcement, Yoon complained about the 22 impeachment motions filed against administration officials since he took office.

“I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order,” he said.

What has the response in South Korea been?

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, called his announcement “illegal and unconstitutional”.

The declaration was also opposed by the leader of Yoon’s own conservative People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, who called the decision “wrong” and vowed to “stop it with the people”.

Angry South Koreans surrounded the parliament in protest, shouting and banging on drums.

The decree was voted down unanimously by the 190 MPs present in the National Assembly (the country’s single chamber of parliament has 300 seats). Under South Korean law, the president must immediately lift martial law if parliament demands it by a majority vote.

People gather at the National Assembly in Seoul to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s resignation.Credit: AP

Why did the president back down?

South Korea’s national cabinet on Wednesday morning approved a motion to end the martial law declaration about six hours after it was made.

Yoon said he would lift it in response to the vote by the national parliament as soon as a quorum was reached in his cabinet.

“The National Assembly demanded that martial law be lifted, so I withdrew the military forces that had been deployed to carry out martial law,” Yoon said, according to The New York Times.

“But I call on the National Assembly to immediately stop the outrageous behaviour that is paralysing the functioning of the country with impeachments, legislative manipulation and budget manipulation.”

Has martial law ever been declared in South Korea?

South Korea held its first democratic elections in December 1987. But before that, dictatorships that emerged after the Korean War in the early 1950s occasionally proclaimed martial law, stationing soldiers and tanks in public places to prevent anti-government demonstrations.

Dictator Park Chung-hee led thousands of troops into Seoul on May 16, 1961, in the country’s first successful coup. During his rule, Park repeatedly proclaimed martial law to crack down on protests and imprison critics.

Park ruled South Korea for nearly 20 years before he was assassinated by his spy chief in October 1979.

Less than two months after Park’s death, Major-General Chun Doo-hwan led tanks and troops into Seoul in the country’s second successful coup. Martial law was last declared in South Korea in 1980.

With AP, Reuters