South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday and accused the opposition of “anti-state” activities.
In an unannounced speech broadcast live on YTN late at night, Yoon said he had no choice but to take drastic measures to protect South Korea’s freedoms and constitutional order. He alleged that opposition parties have taken the parliamentary process hostage and plunged the country into crisis.
“I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional power. order,” Yoon said.
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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during an interview at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, January 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
He did not say in the speech what specific measures will be taken. According to Reuters, the Yonha news agency reported that the entrance to the parliament building was blocked.
“Tanks, armored personnel carriers and soldiers with guns and knives will rule the country,” opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said in an online livestream. “The economy of the Republic of Korea will collapse irreparably. My fellow citizens, please come to the National Assembly.”
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People watch a TV screen showing South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s televised briefing at a bus station in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The liberal Democratic Party has controlled South Korea’s unicameral National Assembly since Yoon, a former top prosecutor, came to power in 2022. Those in the opposition have repeatedly thwarted Yoon’s agenda and the president has low approval ratings.
In his speech, Yoon cited Democratic Party actions as justification for martial law, including an attempt this week to oust some of the country’s top prosecutors and the National Assembly’s rejection of Yoon’s proposed budget.
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South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung (C) arrives outside the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul on November 15, 2024. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images)
Democratic lawmakers had moved to cut more than 4 trillion won from the Yoon government’s budget proposal. Yoon said the cuts would undermine the essential functioning of government administration.
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Yoon suffered a blistering political defeat earlier this year when South Korean voters expanded the Democratic Party’s majority in parliament. A South Korean political analyst told the Associated Press that the election results left Yoon “a dead duck,” with even control of his own party at risk as a result of the losses.
The South Korean president has been too beset by scandals involving his wife, first lady Kim Keon Hee. She was allegedly involved in a stock price manipulation scheme and the release of spy camera footage showed that she accepted a luxury bag from a Korean-American pastor, the AP reported.
This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.
Reuters contributed to this report.
