South Korean president to end martial law after parliament votes to block decree: As it happened

3 Dec, 2024 15:06 / Updated 12 hours ago
President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed martial law on Tuesday, accusing the opposition of plotting to overthrow the government

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol imposed emergency martial law on Tuesday, accusing the opposition, which he claims is sympathetic to the North, of “anti-state” activities.

”The martial law is aimed at eradicating pro-North Korean forces and to protect the constitutional order of freedom,” Yoon said.

Hours later, 190 lawmakers who were able to access the National Assembly building, voted unanimously to lift the decree. The military, however,  said that martial law will remain in place “until the president says otherwise."

Opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung slammed the move as “unconsitutional" and called on military and police to resume their normal duties.

The upheaval comes after Lee's party shot down Yoon’s 2025 budget bill last week and has been calling for probes into several scandals surrounding the president’s wife and senior officials.

03 December 2024

South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol has said he will lift martial law after he convenes a cabinet meeting expected to take place within hours. The U-turn comes after lawmakers voted unanimously to block the measure as protesters gathered outside the National Assembly. Yoon also said that the military had been withdrawn from around the building.

The president came under massive pressure from both his own party and the opposition after the shock decision to impose martial law on Tuesday night.

Former South Korean Foreign Minister Kyung-wha Kang has told CNN that Tuesday’s declaration of martial law was totally unwarranted and “shocking.”

According to Kang, “nothing in the circumstances around the country warranted this” and the move will only undermine the authority of President Yoon. She said the decree was made “out of the blue” and bypassed the requirement to consult cabinet members.

“It doesn’t seem any of the ministers were aware that this was going to happen, aside from the defense minister obviously,” she said.

She called statements from the ruling and opposition parties, both of which criticized Yoon for the decision, “very stabilizing.”

Lawmakers are still waiting to hear from President Yoon two hours after they voted to lift his martial law decree. Of the National Assembly’s 300 members, the 190 who were present in the building voted to overturn the measure at close to 1am.

South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has declared all orders relating to the declaration of martial law by President Yoon to be “unconstitutional, invalid, and illegal.” 

He urged members of the armed forces and police carrying out those orders to “swiftly return to your rightful positions and faithfully carry out your original duties.”

Russia is monitoring events following the introduction of martial law in South Korea.
 
“The situation is alarming. We are monitoring it closely,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to the Interfax news agency.

Washington did not receive advance notice about South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s decision to impose martial law, a White House spokesperson has said, Reuters and CNN reported. 

The official said the administration is “seriously concerned” by the developments and is in contact with the South Korean government.

According to the Guardian, US President Joe Biden has just told reporters that he hasn’t heard all the details of the unfolding situation in Seoul. Asked about the developments after giving a speech in Luanda, Angola, Biden said he was “just getting briefed.”

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to South Korea Philip Goldberg has said the US embassy and Department of State are still “closely tracking” events and “the situation is fluid.”

A senior US foreign policy official has told CNN that the lack of direct response from President Joe Biden to events in Seoul so far is “pretty insane,” particularly given the close relationship between the two nations.

However, the official added that the delayed response is probably because the administration was likely caught off guard by the situation.

Protesters gathered outside South Korea’s National Assembly have begun calling for the arrest and imprisonment of President Yoon Suk Yeol after he imposed martial law on Tuesday night.

The South Korean military has said that martial law will remain in place “until the president says otherwise” or officially lifts the decree, the Washington Post’s Tokyo/Seoul bureau chief has posted on X, citing the YTN news channel.

South Korean media has reported that some of the troops that entered the main parliamentary building following the martial law decree have begun to withdraw.
 
The chairman of the National Assembly, Woo Won-sik, has declared President Yoon’s decree “invalid” and urged him to “immediately lift” it following a unanimous vote by 190 members of parliament who were able to access the building.

Washington is watching events in South Korea with "grave concern," US Deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell has said.

Speaking at a state department event on Tuesday, he said that the US has "every hope and expectation" that political disputes in the nation will be resolved “peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.”

The UK government is also "closely monitoring" the situation unfold in Seoul, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters.

China’s embassy in Seoul has urged citizens to “remain calm” but to exercise caution after martial law was imposed on Tuesday night.
 
In a statement, it advised people to “monitor developments in South Korea’s political situation, enhance safety awareness, limit unnecessary outings” and “exercise caution when expressing political opinions.”

Reuters has reported that despite the ban on parliamentary activity, South Korean lawmakers have voted to lift President Yoon’s martial law decree. Only 190 of the National Assembly’s 300 members were present for the vote, but all 190 voted to overturn the measure.

While the president is required to comply under the law, it’s unclear what impact the vote will actually have.

President Yoon Suk Yeol is seen as a key US ally. In November, he said he would take up golf after an eight-year break, in order to forge a better relationship with President-elect Donald Trump, an avid golfer.

In 2023, at the end of a state dinner at the White House, Yoon serenaded President Joe Biden with a verse of ‘American Pie’ which he called one of his “favorite songs.”

Last week, Yoon said Seoul might consider providing arms to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. The opposition Democratic Party, however, introduced a resolution urging Yoon to “end involvement” in the Ukraine conflict.

According to Yonhap news agency, in addition to a ban on all parliamentary activity, all media and publishers are also subject to the martial law command.

The decree also calls on trainee doctors, currently staging a walkout, to return to work within 48 hours.

Military helicopters have landed on the roof of South Korea’s parliament, AFP has reported.

The leader of President Yoon’s own conservative People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, has called the decision to impose martial law “wrong” and pledged to “stop it along with the people.”

Footage circulating on social media appears to show police clashing with civilians and members of the national assembly who are unable to enter the building.

In a televised speech, Yoon promised to “rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea” which he said has been “falling into the depths of national ruin.”

He vowed to “eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and normalize the country” and asked people to tolerate “some inconveniences," according to AP.

Yonhap news agency has reported that the South Korean military has announced the suspension of all parliamentary activity, with members of the National Assembly apparently banned from entering the building.