South Korea witnessed a chaotic overnight on Tuesday as President Yoon Suk Yeol announced martial law in the country against an 'anti-state' plot which lasted for about six hours. The shocking declaration harkened to the country’s past dictatorships.
The action brought high drama with a massive crowd of people gathering outside the National Assembly in protest. The troops also arrived at the National Assembly. The opposition lambasted Yoon’s move as undemocratic. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, called Yoon’s announcement “illegal and unconstitutional.” Before the day break, lawmakers through bipartisan vote overruled the Presidential decree. After the vote, the Cabinet finally lifted the martial law.
Basis of anti-State plot argument
Providing a basis for his decision, Yeol accused pro-North Korean forces of plotting to overthrow one of the world’s most vibrant democracies, following which, troops surrounded the parliament. He said that the opposition was engaged in “anti-state activities plotting rebellion.” However, he did not explain what that means and provided no specific evidence to back his argument.
It must be noted that In the late 1980s, a series of strongmen repeatedly invoked North Korea's fear while struggling to control domestic dissidents and political opponents.
Lawmakers of Yoon's conservative party voice concern
As expected the opposition parties slammed Yoon calling his move undemocratic. His rival contestant in the 2022 presidential election, who narrowly lost to him, Lee Jae-myung, called the announcement “illegal and unconstitutional.”
Meanwhile, the sudden declaration shocked the Conservatives too as party leader Han Dong-hoon called the decision “wrong” and vowed to “stop it with the people.”
People, National Assembly staff resisted troops
Average South Koreans were also in shock as the memories of the dictatorial regime started haunting them. As the legislators were directed to reach the assembly and not to leave till the law was lifted, the troops tried to enter the building. They faced two-layer resistance as people outside the assembly tried to stop the cars of defence personnel while National Assembly staff sprayed fire extinguishers to stop them from entering the building.
Yoon struggling politically
There are also discussions as Yoon took the decision because he has been politically struggling in the politics.
His approval rating has dropped and finds difficulty in getting his policies adopted by a parliament as it has been dominated by the opposition since 2022.
His approval rating has nosedived after he found himself and his wife at the centre of a scandal. As per the claims, he and his wife First Lady Kim Keon Hee exerted inappropriate influence on the conservative ruling People Power Party to choose a certain candidate to run for a parliamentary bypolls in 2022. This was done at the request of an election broker named Myung Tae-kyun who conducted free opinion surveys for Yoon before he became president.
(With inputs from agencies)
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