South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an “emergency martial law” on Tuesday without providing clear reasoning. Sources say that Yoon fears impeachment from the opposition party and this declaration is merely a way for him to buy time. “To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements… I hereby declare emergency martial law,” Yoon announced. Parliament overturned the measure within three hours.
What happened was absolute pandemonium. One member of Parliament live-streamed himself climbing over the gates of parliament with the military behind him to cast his vote. Every member of parliament voted against the president’s actions, but Yoon is not going down without a fight. The police and military did not know how to respond after parliament overturned the measure. Parliament was forced to barricade themselves in the building until martial law was lifted. World leaders, the US in particular, frantically contacted Seoul to say they had no warning. Naturally, Korean stocks took a dive as confidence was violently shaken. Yoon was worried about impeachment before this spectacle, but how could he remain in power now?
Martial law would have prevented an immediate impeachment, or at least that is what Yoon had hoped. Under martial law, the National Assembly is severely limited, and it would be difficult to hold impeachment proceedings. Civil liberties were stripped from the people, who were unable to protest or organize to call for an impeachment. Yoon could have used the military to prevent any dissent. He has already painted his opposition, who hold a majority in parliament, as pro-North Korean communists intent on destroying the nation.
The people of South Korea were caught off guard by the emergency declaration. Still, the president insisted it was necessary to protect the people, rather than himself, from a fair democracy. Yoon went as far as accusing the National Assembly as “a haven for criminals, a den of legislative dictatorship that seeks to paralyze the judicial and administrative systems and overturn our liberal democratic order.” Yoon is also enraged at recent budget cuts, which he believes will turn South Korea into “a drug haven and a state of public safety chaos.”
Yoon has used every trick in the book. He has declared that he is protecting the people when in fact he is protecting himself. Only Yoon is attempting to silence the democratic process by behaving like a dictator. The people do not want this man in power. Gallup Korea conducted a poll last month that found 72% disapproved of the president, with only 19% in support. He has rarely received a favorability rating of over 30% due his countless scandals and corrupt image. An online petition gained 811,000 signatures to have the president removed immediately. Yoon has not been officially impeached, nor has it been formally discussed, yet many believe this sudden declaration of martial law is directly related.
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung believed a coop was inevitable before martial law was lifted. “Tanks, armored personnel carriers, and soldiers with guns and knives will rule the country,” he warned. “The economy of the Republic of Korea will collapse irretrievably.” Hours later, Lee was frantically making public statements to urge the military to retreat, claiming they would be labeled accomplices. “To the police and the members of the armed forces: any orders from the president stemming from this illegal martial law declaration are clearly unlawful, as they violate the constitution and the law.”
Was the president of South Korea attempting to overthrow his own elected government? Socrates warned that 2024 would be the political year from hell and much could happen in the next three weeks.
