SEOUL: South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday declared martial law, accusing the opposition of being "anti-state forces" and saying he was acting to protect the country from "threats" posed by the North. The National Assembly was sealed late on Tuesday night and helicopters were seen landing on the roof, as army chief General Park An-su took charge as martial law commander and immediately issued a decree banning "all political activities".
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside parliament demanding to be let inside as police guarded the building and special forces attempted to enter. Democratic South Korea is a major ally for the United States in Asia, and a spokesman for the US National Security Council said Washington was "monitoring the situation closely".
Yoon's stunning announcement — South Korea's first declaration of martial law in more than 40 years -- came as his party and the opposition bicker over the budget. "To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea's communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people's freedom and happiness, I hereby declare emergency martial law," Yoon said in a live televised address to the nation.
Yoon did not give details of the North's threats, but the South remains technically at war with nuclear-armed Pyongyang. "With no regard for the livelihoods of the people, the opposition party has paralysed governance solely for the sake of impeachments, special investigations, and shielding their leader from justice," Yoon added. "Our National Assembly has become a haven for criminals, a den of legislative dictatorship that seeks to paralyse the judicial and administrative systems and overturn our liberal democratic order," Yoon said. With martial law imposed, all military units in the South have been ordered to strengthen their emergency alert and readiness postures, Yonhap news agency reported. China, a key ally of North Korea, urged its nationals in the South to stay calm and exercise caution.
The decree by martial law commander Park also banned "actions that deny or seek to overthrow the liberal democratic system, including the spread of fake news, public opinion manipulation, and false propaganda". The president labelled the opposition, which holds a majority in the 300-member parliament, as "anti-state forces intent on overthrowing the regime".
Yoon described the imposition of martial law as "inevitable to guarantee the continuity of a liberal South Korea," adding that it would not impact the country's foreign policy. "I will restore the country to normalcy by getting rid of anti-state forces as soon as possible," he said, without elaborating further other than the martial law in place. He described the current situation as South Korea "on the verge of collapse, with the National Assembly acting as a monster intent on bringing down liberal democracy".
Yoon's People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party are bitterly at odds over next year's budget. Opposition MPs last week approved a significantly downsized budget plan through a parliamentary committee. The opposition has slashed approximately 4.1 trillion won ($2.8 billion) from Yoon's proposed 677 trillion won budget plan, cutting the government's reserve fund and activity budgets for Yoon's office, the prosecution, police and the state audit agency.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, accused opposition lawmakers of cutting "all key budgets essential to the nation's core functions, such as combatting drug crimes and maintaining public security... turning the country into a drug haven and a state of public safety chaos." The imposition of emergency martial law comes as Yoon's approval rating dropped to 19 per cent in the latest Gallup poll last week, with many expressing dissatisfaction over his handling of the economy and controversies involving his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
The United States expressed "grave concern" over South Korea after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law and wants a resolution that follows "rule of law," Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said. "We are watching the recent developments in the ROK with grave concern," Campbell said, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea. "We have every hope and expectation that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law," he said. "I do want to underscore that our alliance with the ROK is ironclad, and we stand by Korea in their time of uncertainty."
Yoon has been a close ally of the United States, with US President Joe Biden welcoming him on a state visit last year and South Korea in March hosting a global democracy summit, a signature idea of the outgoing US administration. Campbell, a key US policymaker on Asia, said that Biden and other top officials were being briefed about the situation.
The UK government urged Britons to avoid political demonstrations in South Korea and said it was following the situation thereafter President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law on Tuesday.
"That is a very fast-moving situation and, as you would expect, we are closely monitoring developments in South Korea," Prime Minister Keir Starmer's deputy spokesperson told reporters. "We would advise all British nationals to monitor the UK's travel advice for updates and follow the advice of local authorities," he added.
On Tuesday, the foreign ministry updated its travel for South Korea, warning British nationals to "follow the advice of local authorities and avoid political demonstrations". Yoon's stunning announcement was South Korea's first declaration of martial law in more than 40 years. He said he was acting to protect the country from "threats" posed by North Korea and accused the opposition of being "anti-state forces". — AFP
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