South Korea faces uncertainty as lawmakers defy President Yoon's martial law declaration

South Korea's National Assembly has passed a motion requesting that President Yoon Suk Yeol rescind his unexpected proclamation of martial law, leaving the future of his emergency measure uncertain as protesters and armed personnel assembled in Seoul.

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty Images

There was euphoria outside the National Assembly building late Tuesday night, as hundreds of people had gathered to see armed personnel enter the building as MPs convened in the house to hold an emergency session to oppose Yoon's unexpected proclamation.

Yoon imposed martial law in a surprise late-night television broadcast, declaring that he would eliminate "shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces".

The move sent shockwaves through the country, which experienced a number of autocratic presidents early on but has been deemed democratic since the 1980s. The Korean won fell dramatically versus the US dollar. A central bank official stated that it was planning measures to stabilize the market if necessary.

South Korea imposed martial law for the first time since 1980.

South Korean law requires the president to comply with parliament's resolution to prevent martial law, but it does not set a time range.

According to Korean media, the Ministry of Defence has stated that martial law would be maintained until the president instructs otherwise.

The declaration of martial law prohibits political action, "fake news," and mandates that all media be regulated by martial law officials. It also enables for arrests without a warrant.

Local media sites continued to report on the occurrences till the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Yoon did not mention a particular danger from the nuclear-armed North, instead focused on his domestic political opponents. On Tuesday, he chastised the opposition for using its majority in the National Assembly to impeach members of his cabinet and thwart his minority government's budget proposals.

Yoon has faced many rallies in recent weeks, with some demanding for his impeachment. His approval rating just hit a historic low of 19%.

Kurt Campbell, the US deputy secretary of state, expressed "grave concern" at the events in South Korea. He added that the US's partnership with the Asian country was "ironclad". To defend against the North, the US has around 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea across multiple military facilities. A spokeswoman for the US military headquarters did not respond to numerous phone calls.

The news has surprised officials in South Korea and the United States.

Politicians, including the head of Yoon's own conservative People Power party, Han Dong-hoon, immediately opposed the decision, calling it "wrong" and vowing to "stop it with the people".

Yoon is well-known for calling his political opponents "anti-state forces" and "fake news". His administration, which assumed office in May 2022, has significantly increased the use of defamation actions against the press.

Yoon said in his announcement that he had no option but to take such action to maintain free and constitutional order, saying that opposition parties had hijacked the legislative process, causing the country to go into crisis.

"I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order," Yoon said.

In his remarks, he did not specify what actions will be implemented.

According to South Korea's constitution, the president, who also serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, has the authority to declare martial law "in time of war, armed conflict, or similar national emergency."

Former President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday that the country was "in a critical state". He urged the National Assembly to "immediately step in and protect the collapsing democracy".

Lee Jae-myung, the head of the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, stated in a livestream broadcast that "tanks, armored personnel carriers, and soldiers with guns and knives will rule the country." The Republic of Korea's economy will collapse irreversibly. "My fellow citizens, please come to the National Assembly."

A cab driver in Seoul, who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation, stated that the current practices are similar to those utilized during the Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan administrations. When their rule is in difficulty, they utilize war-mongering and martial law to conceal it."

Park and Chun were South Korea's military leaders from 1961 until 1988. "I never imagined this would happen again," the cab driver said.

The Centre for Military Human Rights, an NGO, stated that declaring martial law was illegal and that it was "a declaration of war against the people of the Republic of Korea."

The group accused Yoon of orchestrating a coup and urged the military to desist from using force against civilians.

Yoon mentioned this week's Democratic Party vote to impeach some of the country's top prosecutors, as well as its rejection of a government budget plan.

South Korea's ministers chastised the Democratic Party's decision last week to reduce more than 4 trillion won (£2.2 billion) from the government's budget plan. Yoon said that the conduct jeopardized the core function of government management.