South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol abandoned a short-lived attempt to impose martial law on Wednesday after lawmakers defied security forces to vote against his declaration and thousands of protesters took to the streets.
Yoon’s shock attempt to impose martial law on South Korea for the first time in more than four decades plunged the country into the deepest turmoil in its modern democratic history and caught its close allies around the world off guard.
The United States, which has stationed nearly 30,000 troops in South Korea to protect it from the nuclear-armed North, initially expressed deep concern at the declaration and then relief that the state of emergency had ended.
The dramatic developments also threatened the future of Yoon — a conservative politician and former chief public prosecutor who was elected president in 2022.
South Korea’s main opposition party—whose lawmakers jumped fences and scuffled with security forces to vote to overturn the law—demanded that Yoon step down immediately for attempting a “rebellion.”
The nation’s largest umbrella union also called for an “indefinite general strike” until Yoon resigns.
And the leader of Yoon’s own ruling party described the attempt as “tragic” while calling for those involved to be held accountable.
Yoon stepped down after lawmakers voted against the declaration, which he made late Tuesday citing a threat from North Korea and “anti-state forces.”
“Just a few moments ago, there was a request from the National Assembly to lift the state of emergency and we withdrew the army that was deployed for state of emergency operations,” Yoon said in a televised address around 4:30 a.m. (1930 GMT Tuesday).
“We will accept the request of the National Assembly and abolish the state of emergency through the Government session.”
Yonhap news agency reported at the time that Yoon’s cabinet approved the proposal to lift the order.
Senior aides working for Yoon offered to resign en masse on Wednesday due to the declaration of martial law, Yonhap reported.
By the start of the working day, Yoon had yet to make a public appearance.
‘Recall’
The turnaround sparked jubilation among protesters outside parliament who braved freezing temperatures and kept vigil through the night in defiance of Yoon’s martial law order.
Protesters waving South Korean flags and chanting “Arrest Yoon Suk Yeol” outside the National Assembly cheered.
Lim Myeong-pan, 55, told AFP that Yoon’s decision to lift the state of emergency did not absolve him of guilt.
“Yoon’s act of imposing it in the first place without a legitimate reason is a serious crime in itself,” Lim told AFP.
“With this, he paved his own way to impeachment.”
Defying security forces, 190 MPs managed to enter the assembly in the early hours of Wednesday morning and unanimously declared their opposition to martial law.
According to the constitution, the state of emergency must be lifted when a majority in the parliament demands it.
‘Anti-state’ elements
Yoon gave a number of reasons to justify martial law – South Korea’s first in more than 40 years.
“In order to protect liberal South Korea from threats posed by North Korean communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements that are robbing people of freedom and happiness, I hereby declare martial law,” Yoon said in a televised address.
Yoon did not elaborate on the North’s threats, but the South is technically still at war with nuclear-armed Pyongyang.
“Our National Assembly has become a haven for criminals, a den of legislative dictatorship that seeks to paralyze the judicial and administrative systems and overthrow our liberal democratic order,” Yoon said.
The president called the main opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in the 300-member parliament, “anti-state forces that intend to overthrow the regime.”
Yoon and his People Power Party are also in a bitter conflict with the opposition over next year’s budget.
Opposition MPs approved a significantly reduced budget plan last week through a parliamentary committee.
The imposition of martial law comes after Yoon’s approval rating fell to 19% in the latest Gallup poll last week, with many expressing dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy and controversies involving his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
Concern, relief
Democratic South Korea is the United States’ main ally in Asia, but Washington said it was not informed in advance of Yoon’s plan to impose martial law.
“We welcome President Yoon’s announcement that he will rescind the emergency order,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“We still expect political disagreements to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.”
China, a key ally of North Korea, urged its nationals in the South to remain calm and cautious, while Britain said it was “closely monitoring developments”.
Vladimir Tikhonov, a professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, said Yoon’s move to impose martial law was “an attempt to turn back history”.
“I think South Korean civil society can no longer recognize Yoon as a legitimate president,” he told AFP.
