South Korea parliament votes down martial law order, next steps unclear – National

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South Korea parliament votes down martial law order, next steps unclear – National

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared “martial law” on Tuesday, accusing the opposition that controls the country’s parliament of sympathizing with ********** North Korea and plunging the nation into a democratic crisis.

Hours later, parliament voted to lift the declaration, with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declaring that the martial law was “invalid” and that lawmakers “will protect democracy with the people.”

South Korean military officials said martial law would remain in effect until Yoon himself lifted the order, according to local media. Yet police and military personnel were seen leaving the Assembly’s grounds after Woo called for their withdrawal.

Under South Korean law, martial law can be lifted with a majority vote in the parliament.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the ******** Democratic Party, which holds the majority in the 300-seat parliament, said the party’s lawmakers will remain in the Assembly’s main hall until Yoon formally lifts his order. All 190 lawmakers who participated in the vote supported the lifting of martial law.

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Yoon’s own ************* People Power Party called on the president to swiftly lift the order after the parliamentary vote, according to the government-funded Yonhap news agency.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Assembly to denounce Yoon’s move, which recalled the era of authoritarian leadership the country has not seen since the 1980s.

Some demonstrators shouted, “Withdraw emergency martial law,” while others chanted “arrest Yoon Suk Yeol” and called for the president’s impeachment.

People gather in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon).

South Korean martial law soldiers leave the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Kim Ju-sung/Yonhap via AP).

South Korean martial law soldiers leave the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Kim Ju-sung/Yonhap via AP).

Following Yoon’s announcement, South Korea’s military proclaimed that parliament and other political gatherings that could cause “social confusion” would be suspended, Yonhap reported, and that media and publishers would be under the control of the martial law command.

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The military also said the country’s striking doctors should return to work within 48 hours, Yonhap said. Thousands of doctors have been striking for months over government plans to expand the number of students at medical schools.

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TV footage showed police officers blocking the entrance of the National Assembly and helmeted soldiers carrying rifles in front of the National Assembly’s main building to restrict the entrance of people. Parliamentary aides were seen trying to push the soldiers back by spraying ***** extinguishers.

An Associated Press photographer saw at least three helicopters, likely from the military, that landed inside the Assembly grounds, while two or three helicopters circled above the site.

People Power Party leader Han *****-hoon called the decision to impose martial law “wrong” and vowed to “stop it with the people.”

“I am so ******, I am beyond confused,” demonstrator Im Jin-soo, 66, told Reuters. “I came out to protect democracy. During the dictators we couldn’t rise up, but now we can.”

People try to enter the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man).

South Korean martial law soldiers try to enter the National Assembly compound in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Cho Sung-*****/Newsis via AP).

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Why Yoon says he declared martial law

Yoon said during a televised speech that martial law would help “rebuild and protect” the country from “falling into the depths of national ruin.” He said he would “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.”

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“I will eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and normalize the country,” he said, while asking the people to believe in him and tolerate “some inconveniences.”

Yoon — whose approval rating has dipped in recent months — has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022.

Yoon’s party has been locked in an impasse with the ******** opposition over next year’s budget bill. Opposition lawmakers cut 4.1 trillion won from the total budget proposal of 677.4 trillion won (US$470.7 billion) the Yoon’s government submitted, setting up a possible defeat of the budget that risks shrinking fiscal spending at a time when export growth is cooling.

The opposition has also been attempting to pass motions to impeach three top prosecutors, including the chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, in what the conservatives have called a vendetta against their ********* investigations of Lee, who has been seen as the favorite for the next presidential election in 2027 in opinion polls.

Yoon has also been dismissing calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife and top officials, drawing quick, strong rebukes from his political rivals.

Yoon’s move is the first declaration of martial law since the country’s democratization in 1987. The country’s last previous martial law was in October 1979.

People gather to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP).

Reaction from markets, allies

Yoon’s move drew swift reaction from around the world, including North ********* and ********* allies that have sought to deepen economic and social ties with South Korea in a bid to counter China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific.

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Canada and the ******* Kingdom updated their travel advisories for South Korea to reflect the martial law declaration, telling travellers to “exercise caution,” avoid political demonstrations and follow local orders. Similar advisories were also issued by Ireland, Bulgaria and Latvia.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the ******* States was watching events in South Korea with “grave concern” and had every hope and expectation that any political disputes would be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.

The U.S. was not given advance notice of Yoon’s declaration, a White House spokesperson said. U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters he was being briefed on the situation as he left an event in Angola.

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The White House spokesperson said the Biden administration is in contact with the South Korean government and monitoring the situation closely.

Some 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea to guard against the North.

The Korean won declined to 1,430 per U.S. dollar, the weakest since October 2022, while also falling sharply against the yen to the weakest since May 2023, 961.89 per 100 yen, down 2.5 per cent.

Finance minister Choi Sang-mok said in an emergency meeting with top economic officials in Seoul that the government would deploy all possible measures to stabilize financial markets if needed.

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—With files from the Associated Press and Reuters

&copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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