South Korea plunged right into a political crisis after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday – a shocking move that sparked mass protests and drew a pointy rebuke from the country’s parliament.
Although Yoon has said he’ll withdraw his declaration, it is unlikely to finish South Korea’s political problems, which extend beyond Tuesday’s state of emergency.
Yoon first made the statement in a televised announcement on Tuesday evening local time, claiming that the opposition party in his government was in conflict “insurrection” and “attempt to overthrow free democracy.””, probably as a consequence of the political impasse between him and parliament, which prevented him from passing the program. Despite the continuing stalemate, the decision to declare martial law surprised political opponents, allies, the South Korean public – and the world.
Shortly after Yoon’s declaration, South Korea’s parliament, often called the National Assembly, met to unanimously reject the martial law decree.
“There is no reason to introduce martial law. We cannot allow the military to rule this country,” opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said on Tuesday. “President Yoon Suk Yeol betrayed the nation. President Yoon’s illegal declaration of a state of emergency and martial law is invalid.” Martial law typically involves the suspension of the civilian government and rule by military decree in the event of a major emergency, such as an intense armed conflict.
Despite Yoon’s promise to withdraw his declaration, the country is still in limbo. What will happen next is unclear.
Here’s what that you must know.
Why did the president declare martial law?
Yoon only spoke about his decision in general terms. However, it is possible that his statement was influenced by his statement decreasing public supportpolitical impasse and an ongoing ethics investigation into his wife over a a handbag considered an unwanted gift.
The conservative Yoon is in the second year of his five-year term; during his tenure, his approval rating dropped below 20 percentage points. He was too in an impasse with the National Assemblycontrolled by the center-left Democratic Party, over its political program.
Yoon “is definitely unpopular and frustrated together with her inability to play politics,” Celeste Arrington, director of the Korean Studies Institute, told Vox. George Washington.
Arrington said Yoon “used an unprecedented variety of presidential vetoes” to try to push his agenda. “He also launched politically motivated accusations against the opposition party. Meanwhile, the opposition tried to indict several dozen members of this government and initiated an investigation into the first lady. So that’s it [political battle] back and forth, back and forth, building.”
Yoon clearly stated that North Korean elements played a role in his decision to declare martial law, although there is no actual evidence that North Korea played a role in the current crisis. Instead, his reference to North Korea may refer to the major political divide between the country’s two major parties over whether and how to engage with its totalitarian and belligerent northern neighbor.
What does martial law in South Korea involve?
In addition, political activities are to be suspended, including meetings and rallies of political parties. This was, of course, disregarded: the National Assembly met and protests continued throughout the night.
Armed guards surrounded the National Assembly building on Tuesday evening; 190 members of the 300-member body showed up to vote unanimously to reject the measure, some of whom climbed over the fence around the building to do so. the Wall Street Journal. reported.
What was the reaction?
Yoon’s declaration was almost close widely unpopular in South Korea. Citizens showed up to protest and even engage in clashes with security forces.
Both the opposition leader and the leader of Yoon’s own party condemned Yoon’s decision. “This is an illegal, unconstitutional introduction of martial law that doesn’t meet the requirements,” he said Han Dong-hoon, former Minister of Justice and leader of the Yoon People’s Power Party. “South Korea is a democratic country. We will protect democracy together with our citizens.”
The United States, a longtime ally of South Korea, said it was unaware of Yoon’s declaration before it came.
“We hope and expect that every one political disputes will probably be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law,” he added. – US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Tuesday.
Yoon announced the end of martial law following a vote by the National Assembly, as required by the constitution. The government agreed to lift the order early Wednesday morning local time, and protesters began to disperse.
But this is not the end of the crisis, Gi-Wook Shin, director of the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University, told Vox.
“Decision [to declare martial law] “appears to be an attempt to consolidate power in a climate where his favorability is declining, but it is essentially political suicide because it risks being perceived as an overreach of power and could lead to him facing impeachment,” Shin said.
Indeed, an opposition MP from a smaller party has already done so called for Yoon’s impeachment.
Regardless of what happens with Yoon, polarization between the two important parties and high levels of public dissatisfaction with politics remain, Arrington told Vox.
“Neither side is particularly popular; public trust in both conservatives and progressives is low,” she said. “There is deep frustration with the way democratic institutions, in particular political parties and the National Assembly, operate.” And the end of the martial law crisis doesn’t change this reality.
