South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol Imposes martial law and plunges the country into a serious crisis. In Parliament, Wednesday night was extremely dramatic: Already occupied by the military, the MPs unanimously voted against the imposition of martial law. This means that martial law is no longer valid. The military withdrew.

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According to Article 77 of the Korean Constitution, the presidential imposition of martial law is invalid if the absolute majority of parliamentarians votes against the measure. This was the case after 190 MPs managed to get into parliament despite military occupation. The soldiers had tried to block access, but the delegates were able to keep the military at bay with fire extinguishers. Of the 190 delegates present, 190 voted against martial law. Of them, 172 belonged to the opposition and 18 to the president's ruling party. The binding vote took place after midnight, exactly two hours and 37 minutes after the president's televised speech. As a result, martial law is immediately suspended again. The military withdrew from the parliament building, which had suffered major damage.

The unexpected imposition of martial law sent shockwaves across the country and unsettled the governments of the friendly states. With the declaration of martial law and a state of emergency, Parliament was temporarily disempowered. Access to the parliament building was blocked. The media were also to be under martial law control with immediate effect. In his TV speech late Tuesday evening, Yoon said: “Through martial law, I will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into the abyss of national ruin. ”

He accused the opposition of sympathy for North Korea, which is why it is crippling the government's work with “anti-state activities.” He described Parliament as a “refuge for criminals.” It had become a legislative dictatorship that wanted to paralyze the legal and administrative system.

He stressed that he would eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and “normalize” the country. The population should believe in him and tolerate “some inconveniences.”

Protection against communist North Korea is only seen as a pretext. According to South Korean media, Yoon has major domestic problems getting a budget law through for 2025 and only took protection from communist North Korea as an excuse.

The measure met with great opposition in the Republic of Korea, not only from the opposition but also from the governing party itself. Many demonstrators went in front of parliament and opposed the military.

Yoon has been in office since 2022 and is the least popular president South Korea has ever had. Although he was attorney general before his office, he and his wife are criticized for numerous scandals.

Ewald König

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