Serious crisis in South Korea First martial law, then not - and what happens now?
Dramatic development in South Korea: President Yoon declares martial law and lifts it again just 12 hours later. How this came about and what happens next. Answers to the most important questions.
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- South Korea is shaken by a serious political crisis.
- President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is under domestic political pressure, has declared martial law and the parliament has been sealed off by the military.
- However, the members of parliament resist and vote for the immediate lifting of martial law.
- Twelve hours later, the president lifted martial law again.
In South Korea, President Yoon Suk Yeol first declared martial law and then lifted it again shortly afterwards. He justified his martial law decision with the need to protect the country's democratic order. Shortly afterwards, the South Korean parliament demanded that the measure be lifted. The president finally complied.
How did the events come about? The answers to the most important questions.
What happened?
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed martial law on the country in the midst of a domestic political crisis. In doing so, he provoked a power struggle with parliament.
Parliamentary Speaker Woo Won Shik immediately called on the military and police to remain calm. All members of the National Assembly were told to gather in the plenary hall of the parliament building.
Just a few hours later, parliament called on the president to lift martial law immediately. All 190 MPs present voted in favor of the motion.
In a statement by the Speaker of Parliament, it was said that the resolution passed by a majority in Parliament rendered the declaration of martial law null and void. It must therefore be lifted.
Only around 12 hours later, the president announced his intention to revoke martial law. According to South Korea's national news agency Yonhap, Yoon said that the military had withdrawn and that the cabinet would meet soon.
Demonstrations in front of parliament remain peaceful
There were demonstrations around the parliament building, but they remained peaceful. The building had been blocked by the military in the meantime. Later, there were no more soldiers to be seen in front of the building, but riot police.
According to a report in the Korea Herald, the parliamentary speaker's office also confirmed that the armed forces withdrew from the National Assembly building shortly after the vote.
Why did the president declare martial law?
In a speech broadcast live on television, the president accused the country's opposition of sympathizing with North Korea. The declared state of emergency was aimed at "wiping out pro-North Korean forces and protecting the constitutional order of freedom", said Yoon. As head of state, he is also commander-in-chief of the army.
The background to the conflict is apparently a dispute over the state budget. There were initially no indications that the totalitarian-ruled neighboring country of North Korea was involved in the situation.
The opposition Democratic Party (DP), which has a majority in the National Assembly, had passed a budget on its own in the parliamentary special committee for budget and accounts on Friday. Yoon's office then called on the left-liberal opposition to withdraw the budget plan with the reduced expenditure.
The opposition was not the only one to strongly condemn the president's actions. Criticism also came from Yoon's government itself. The chairman of the ruling party, Han Dong Hoon, described the martial law as "wrong", according to local media reports.
Were Yoon's actions legal?
Experts doubt that the imposition of martial law by President Yoon Suk Yeol was legal. Several South Korean lawyers described his actions as "clearly illegal" and "unfounded" in posts on social media and in conversations with "The Korea Herald".
According to the report, the legal scholars drew parallels with former President Chun Doo-hwan's nationwide imposition of martial law on May 17, 1980, which led to the Gwangju Democratic Uprising and the subsequent violent suppression of protesters by the military.
The trials of Chun and senior officials in 1997 set a precedent that the use of martial law to suppress civil rights constituted "subversion of the Constitution" under Article 91 of the Penal Code.
At least two experts also said that law enforcement and military personnel following orders under the imposition of martial law could be prosecuted under the same laws. In addition, participation in violent acts in support of the imposition of martial law would be considered aiding and abetting an insurrection.
What's next for the president?
After the lifting of martial law, Yoon is under great domestic pressure. South Korea's opposition has called on the president to resign immediately following his brief declaration of martial law. According to media reports, the Democratic Party announced at an emergency meeting of the National Assembly on Wednesday that if Yoon does not resign of his own accord, impeachment proceedings will be initiated against the president immediately. The declaration of martial law was "a clear violation of the constitution".
Park Chan Dae, a leading DP MP, had already called on Yoon to resign before martial law was lifted. "Even if martial law is lifted, sedition charges cannot be prevented," said Park.
Han Dong Hoon from the conservative ruling party said on Korean television that Yoon must "explain this tragic situation directly and thoroughly". All those responsible must be "held strictly accountable".
The country's most important trade union federation called for an "indefinite general strike" until President Yoon resigns. Yoon had "declared the end of (his) own power", the 1.2 million-member KFTU union announced. It accused the president of an "irrational and anti-democratic measure".
What happens now?
President Yoon has responded to the parliament's vote and apparently lifted martial law again. Yoon said in a TV appearance that the military had withdrawn and the cabinet would meet soon.
Yoon Suk Yeol has been under domestic political pressure for months. Most recently, an alleged corruption scandal involving his wife has further depressed his popularity ratings. In addition, the incumbent party is at loggerheads with the opposition over the budget law for the coming year.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula have also been rising for months. North Korea has significantly increased its missile tests over the past two years and stepped up its rhetoric against the USA and South Korea. North Korea has also sent thousands of soldiers to Russia, where they are being deployed in the recapture of the Kursk region
With material from the news agencies dpa, afp and AP.
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