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Lawmakers hold signs reading 'Yoon Suk Yeol should resign' on December 4
South Korea's president shocked the country Tuesday night when he unexpectedly declared martial law in the Asian democracy for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Yoon Suk Yeol's drastic decision – announced on a late-night TV show – mentioned “anti-state forces” and the threat from North Korea.
But it soon became clear that he was motivated not by external threats but by his own desperate political problems.
Yet it prompted thousands to gather at Parliament to protest, while opposition lawmakers rushed to force an emergency vote to scrap the measure.
Defeated, Yoon came out hours later to accept Parliament's vote and lift the martial law order.
He now risks being dismissed or even expelled from his own party.
How did it all happen?
Yoon behaved like a president under siege, observers say.
In his speech on Tuesday evening, he spoke of attempts by the political opposition to undermine his government before declaring that he was declaring martial law to “crush the anti-state forces that are wreaking havoc.”
His decree temporarily handed power to the military – with helmeted troops and police deployed to the National Assembly parliament building, where helicopters were seen landing on the roof.
Local media also showed scenes of masked, armed soldiers entering the building as staff tried to hold them back with fire extinguishers.
On Tuesday around 11:00 p.m. local time (2:00 p.m. GMT), the military issued a decree banning protests and activities by parliament and political groups, and placing the media under government control.
But South Korean politicians immediately called Yoon's statement illegal and unconstitutional. The leader of his own party, the conservative People Power Party, also called Yoon's action a “bad decision.”
Meanwhile, the leader of the country's largest opposition party, Lee Jae-myung of the Liberal Democratic Party, called on his lawmakers to converge on Parliament to vote against the declaration.
He also called on ordinary South Koreans to come to parliament to protest.
“Tanks, armored personnel carriers and soldiers armed with guns and knives will rule the country… My fellow citizens, come to the National Assembly.”
Thousands of people responded to the call and rushed to gather in front of the now heavily guarded Parliament. The demonstrators chanted: “No martial law! and “bring down the dictatorship.”
Local media broadcasting the site showed scuffles between protesters and police at the gates. But despite the military presence, tensions did not degenerate into violence.
And lawmakers were also able to bypass barricades and even climb fences to get to the voting room.
Shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday, the South Korean parliament, with 190 of its 300 members present, voted against the measure. President Yoon's declaration of martial law was declared invalid.
Reuters
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law during a national address Tuesday evening.
How important is martial law?
Martial law is a temporary regime imposed by military authorities in times of emergency, when civilian authorities are deemed incapable of functioning.
The last time this was declared in South Korea was in 1979, when the country's longtime military dictator, Park Chung-hee, was assassinated in a coup.
It has never been invoked since the country became a parliamentary democracy in 1987.
But on Tuesday, Yoon pulled the trigger, saying in a national speech that he was trying to save South Korea from “anti-state forces.”
Yoon, who has taken a significantly tougher stance on North Korea than his predecessors, has characterized the political opposition as North Korea sympathizers – without providing evidence.
Under martial law, additional powers are granted to the military and citizens' civil rights and rule of law norms and protections are often suspended.
Despite the military announcing restrictions on political activity and the media, protesters and politicians defied these orders. And there was no sign that the government was taking control of the free media: Yonhap, the national channel and other outlets continued to report as normal.
Reuters
The South Korean parliament met shortly after Yoon's declaration to block martial law.
Why did Yoon feel pressured?
Yoon was elected in May 2022 as a hardline conservative, but has been a lame-duck president since April, when the opposition won a landslide victory in the country's general election.
Since then, his government has been unable to pass the bills it wanted and has been reduced to vetoing bills passed by the liberal opposition.
He has also seen declining approval ratings – hovering around 17% – as he has been mired in several corruption scandals this year, including one involving the First Lady accepting a Dior bag, and another involving alleged manipulation of stocks.
Last month, he was forced to apologize on national television, saying he was creating an office overseeing the duties of the First Lady. But he rejected a broader investigation, demanded by opposition parties.
Then this week, the opposition proposed gutting a major government budget bill – which cannot be vetoed.
At the same time, the opposition also moved to dismiss cabinet members and several top prosecutors, including the head of the government's audit agency, for failing to investigate the First Lady.
Reuters
Many citizens gathered in front of Parliament on Tuesday evening to protest the sudden declaration of martial law. Mass protests are a frequent and common political event in the country.
Reuters
The leader of a key opposition party, the Democratic Party, speaking to the media after Parliament voted against martial law on Wednesday morning
And now ?
Yoon's statement took many people by surprise and for six hours, South Koreans were in a state of confusion as to the meaning of the martial law order.
But the opposition was able to quickly rally in Parliament and was able to vote against the declaration, as did some members of Yoon's ruling People Power party.
And despite the strong presence of troops and police in the capital, no takeover by the army has materialized.
Under South Korean law, the government must lift martial law if a majority in parliament demands it in a vote.
The same law also prohibits the martial law command from arresting lawmakers.
It is unclear what is happening now and what the consequences will be for Yoon.
Lawmakers are reportedly in the process of removing him as president.
This is a relatively simple process, which would require more than two-thirds of the 300 members of the National Assembly to vote to impeach, or at least 201 votes.
Once the impeachment is approved, a trial will take place before the Constitutional Court – a nine-member council that oversees the branches of South Korea's government.
If six of the court members vote in favor of impeachment, the president is removed from office.
If this happens, it would not be the first time a South Korean president has been impeached. In 2016, then-president Park Geun-hye was impeached after being accused of helping a friend commit extortion.
In 2004, another president, Roh Moo-hyun, was impeached and suspended for two months. The Constitutional Court then reinstated him in his functions.
Yoon's rash action stunned the country, which considers itself a thriving, modern democracy that has come a long way since the days of dictatorship.
This is considered the biggest challenge this democratic society has faced in decades.
Experts say it could be more damaging to South Korea's reputation for democracy than the Jan. 6 riots in the United States.
“Yoon's declaration of martial law appears to be both a legal overreach and a political miscalculation, needlessly endangering South Korea's economy and security,” said one expert, Leif-Eric Easley. , from Ewha University in Seoul.
“He looked like a politician under siege, taking desperate action in the face of growing scandals, institutional obstruction and calls for impeachment, all of which are likely to intensify.”
