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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has declared an emergency martial law in the country.
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In an unannounced live address, Yoon said the move was aimed at safeguarding a “liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements”.
In an unannounced live televised address to the nation, the president says the declaration of martial law is necessary to protect the country.
“To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate antistate elements, … I hereby declare emergency martial law,” he said.
“With no regard for the livelihoods of the people, the opposition party has paralysed governance solely for the sake of impeachments, special investigations and shielding their leader from justice,” he added.
The surprise announcement was made as Yoon’s People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party bicker over next year’s budget.
Yoon accused opposition lawmakers of cutting “all key budgets essential to the nation’s core functions, such as combatting drug crimes and maintaining public security, … turning the country into a drug haven and a state of public safety chaos”.
He went on to label the opposition, which holds a majority in the 300-member parliament, as “antistate forces intent on overthrowing the regime” and called his decision “inevitable”.
“I will restore the country to normalcy by getting rid of antistate forces as soon as possible.”
‘Unexpected is an understatement’
I think we are quite in shock with this development.
There’s been quite a bit of political tension not only with the opposition party but also the man helming the ruling party.
[Yoon] said he declares martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean, antistate forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order.What he is referring to here are likely South Koreans within the South Korean context who the president feels are quite pro-North Korea and, certainly, anti-Yoon Suk-yeol government.
The president’s approval rating really has struggled ever since day one. He’s had one of the lowest approval ratings of past Korean presidents.
This is quite a development that everybody is trying to understand why and what this means for life here in South Korea.
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at the Presidential Office in Seoul on October 24.
Questions arise after president’s move
Se-Woong Koo, managing editor of Korea Exposé, has commented on reports that police buses are blocking the entrance to the National Assembly.
“This is the main legislative body for the country, suggesting that lawmakers are being prevented or stopped from entering the building,” he told Al Jazeera.
“This is a crucial piece of information because the National Assembly in fact has the power to lift martial if the majority of them will agree.”
The opposition Democratic Party currently has the majority in the country’s legislature at the moment.
“So if the president is stopping them from doing their duty, then there are questions as to whether this declaration of martial law can even be construed as legal or constitutional in the first place.”
Source: Al Jazeera
