President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea declared martial law on Tuesday, December 3, through a surprising late-night address. Many are wondering why this happened, and experts have weighed in on the chaotic situation as the South Korean parliament attempts to block this measure from passing. Yoon Suek Yeol said in his statement that he was imposing martial law “to safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces,” but some say that this is a blatant political move.
Why did South Korea president Yoon Suk Yeol declare martial law?
Yoon Suk Yeol from the People Power Party imposed martial law in South Korea due to him being “frustrated” with the opposition Democratic Party, according to Kenneth Choi, the international editor of the South Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo.
In a segment on CNN, Choi explains that the DP holds “almost two-thirds in the parliament” and has impeached 18 of Yoon’s cabinet ministers. It was also able to cut about $4 billion won in the government’s budget, obstructing the president’s actions.
As noted by the BBC, Yoon has faced low approval ratings, particularly due to controversies surrounding his wife, Yoon Suk Yeol, for stock manipulation, corruption, and more. On November 7, he formally apologized to the public and admitted that his wife should have conducted herself better, but said the claims against her were “exaggerated” and rejected a call for an investigation by the DP into her alleged crimes.
John Nilsson-Wright, the head of the Japan and Koreas Programme at Cambridge University, also told CNN that the declaration of martial law was “frankly bizarre” and was “patently a political move.”
Moments after martial law was declared, parliament members from both parties attempted to overturn the measure. The leader of the DP, Lee Jae-myung, described the action as “unconstitutional” while the head of the People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, said it was “wrong.”
Several hours later, 190 of the country’s National Assembly members voted to block the move, though it’s unclear whether Yoon will comply with their decision as required by the constitution. Troops within the main parliamentary building withdrew.
A senior officer for the Biden administration said that it is “seriously concerned by what we are seeing develop.”
