South Korea: Why was the martial law lifted in South Korea after only six hours, will the President be impeached; what next?

Posted on 4th Dec 2024 by rohit kumar

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yol on Tuesday announced the lifting of martial law (emergency) just hours after imposing it in the country. The surprising thing is that behind this decision, Yol had termed the opposition as an anti-establishment force and a threat to democracy. However, his declaration of martial law united not only the opposition but also all the MPs of the country, who came together in the Parliament and showed solidarity against the President's decision.

 

What happened in South Korea, why was an emergency imposed?

 

In South Korea, on Tuesday night, President Yol came on TV and announced the imposition of martial law in the country. Without giving any clear reason behind this, he accused the opposition of being involved in anti-establishment activities and weakening the government.

 

After this, he issued a six-point order for martial law. Under this, the Army Chief was appointed as the Martial Law Commander, and some rules were issued.

 

- Under this, a ban on political activities and parties in the country was announced while martial law was in force.

 

- Apart from this, a gathering of many people in one place with the intention of creating false propaganda, strikes, and social unrest was banned.

 

- Through the order, the media groups of the country were brought under the purview of martial law and the doctors and nurses associated with the health services, who were involved in the strike, were also instructed to return to work within 48 hours.

 

How was the martial law lifted within six hours?

 

After the declaration of martial law in South Korea, the security forces sealed the country's parliament. Shortly after, helicopters landed on the parliament building and many soldiers entered the building. It was believed that this was a step to prevent the MPs from entering inside. However, 190 MPs somehow managed to reach the parliament and they also voted on the proposal against President Yol's declaration of martial law. All the MPs voted in favor of unilaterally lifting the martial law.

 

According to the rules, the President has to make further decisions only under the proposal passed by the Parliament. Even Yol's cabinet immediately approved the parliament's proposal. In such a situation, the unity of the government ministers and the opposition against martial law also influenced Yoon and he withdrew it just six hours after imposing the martial law. However, in the meantime, hundreds of protesters also gathered outside the parliament, who raised slogans against President Yol and demanded his arrest.

 

What reason did Yol give for imposing martial law?

 

Yun Suk Yol said that he announced martial law to protect the country's liberal democracy from 'anti-establishment forces; and 'threats posed by North Korea'. However, he did not give any further information on his decision.

 

Meanwhile, it is being speculated that Yol's real anger is with South Korea's opposition Democratic Party, which has recently cut 4.1 trillion won from the country's budget of 677 trillion won set for next year's expenditure. On this, the President had said that the opposition has started cutting down on the expenditure on all the important needs to run the country.

 

Alan Yoo, a former US diplomat in Asia, said, "One thing is clear President Yeol has been losing popularity since coming to power. There have been many controversies associated with him and due to this, he is not getting the support of the people. Therefore, he is trying to run his government by taking some steps. The declaration of martial law is also one of these hasty efforts."

 

What next for Yeol?

 

After this entire incident, the pressure on President Yoon Suk Yeol is increasing. The opposition parties have given him an ultimatum that he should either resign from his post or be ready to face impeachment proceedings. South Korea's main labor union has announced an indefinite strike until Yeol resigns. The union has accused him of taking anti-democracy steps. At the same time, President Yol's own People's Power Party (PPP) has described his move to impose martial law as terrible and has demanded that those involved in this decision be held accountable.