During a televised speech on Tuesday, December 3, the President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, declared what he described as “emergency martial law”. He claimed that the liberal opposition in parliament, who had recently gained massive power within the government, had sympathetic ties to North Korea. If Yeol succeeds, it would mark the first time in South Korean history that martial law has been declared since the demilitarization of the country in 1987. Currently, the South Korean military is supporting him in this goal.
Opponents of Yoon Suk Yeol claim that he has declared martial law due to fears of impeachment at the hands of his opposition. The opposition has proposed impeachment 22 times against him since taking power within parliament, an act that Yeol describes as “paralyzing” his administration as well as the judicial system. Yeol claims that, “The National Assembly, which should be the basis of liberal democracy, has become a monster that collapses the liberal democracy system”, citing the opposition Democratic Party’s choice to reduce funds that were given to wage South Korea’s war on drugs.
Parliament has voted against Yeol’s declaration of martial law. Additionally, many other South Korean politicians, such as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon have spoken out against the declaration of martial law. Notably, Se-hoon is a member of the People Power Party, the conservative-aligned party that Yeol belongs to.
