Seoul: Within six hours of announcing martial law on Tuesday night, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol backtracked and withdrew the same as the legislature shocked the country and the lawmakers defied security forces to vote against his declaration.
Thousands of protesters had hit the streets to protest against the declaration.
Top points on the chaos:
- President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law through a late-night television address to the nation on Tuesday.
- He cited ‘threats’ from North Korea and slammed the main opposition party in South Korea.
- First time since 1980, such a law had been declared in the country.
- In his address to the nation, President Yoon said, “To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements plundering people’s freedom and happiness, I hereby declare emergency martial law.”
- He accused the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in the 300-member parliament of ‘paralysing’ governance for the ‘sake of impeachments, special investigations, and shielding their leader from justice.’
- President Yoon, however, withdrew martial law. “Just a moment ago, there was a demand from the National Assembly to lift the state of emergency, and we have withdrawn the military that was deployed for martial law operations,” he said on the television.
- The Democratic Party demanded that 63-year-old Yoon to step down immediately, warning that it would initiate impeachment proceedings against him unless he resigns.
- South Korea’s main labour union group called for an ‘indefinite general strike’, demanding Yoon’s resignation over the ‘irrational and anti-democratic measure.’
- The United States, which stations nearly 30,000 troops in South Korea to protect it from the nuclear-armed North, had said it was watching events with ‘grave concern.’ After the law’s withdrawal, the US said it was ‘relieved.’
- China, a key ally of North Korea, had asked its citizens to stay cautious. Russia, which is also close to Pyongyang, mentioned the situation as ‘alarming.’
- The martial law was imposed after Yoon’s approval rating dropped following many expressing dissatisfactions over his handling of the economy and controversies related to his wife, Kim Keon Hee.