Something big is brewing in South Korea as President declares martial law

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in the country to combat North Korean supporters, Yonhap news agency said.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by Valentin Janiaut, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

South Korean flag

"I am declaring a state of emergency in order to root out pro-North Korean forces and protect the free constitutional order," the head of state said in a televised address to the nation.

During his address, the president called the introduction of martial law "an inevitable measure to ensure freedom and security of the people, as well as the country's resilience against the actions of anti-state forces."

Martial law may cause some inconvenience to citizens, but the authorities will focus on minimizing such inconveniences, he said.

"There are no changes in foreign policy, the Republic of Korea fulfills its duties and contribution to the international community," Yoon Suk Yeol stated.

At the same time, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic reported that a meeting of key commanders of all armed forces was held and instructions were issued to strengthen the emergency preparedness and readiness of the armed forces.

The president's decision to introduce martial law in the country may be related to attempts to conduct impeachment proceedings against Yoon Suk Yeol. He also wants to counter the threat of paralysis of power, the agency said.

During an emergency meeting with the government, Yoon announced that the country's Democratic Party attempted to impeach him. The president called the impeachment attempt "a clear anti-state act that tramples on the constitutional order, undermines legitimate state institutions, and aims to unleash an uprising and civil war."

Access to South Korean Parliament blocked

The South Korean opposition called his decision unconstitutional. The Toburo Democratic Party decided to convene deputies.

The entrance to the South Korean parliament building was blocked after martial law was declared, Yonhap also said.

Access to the building was blocked even for MPs.

The leader of the Democratic Party Lee Jae-myung said that the military could arrest opposition deputies of the South Korean Parliament if they tried to lift the declaration of martial law. He noted that he was heading to the parliament to convene an extraordinary session to discuss the decision of the country's leader.

Following Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law, the Democratic Party called on all its members to urgently gather at the National Assembly. Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung called the president's actions unconstitutional and illegal.

People's Power leader Han Dong-hoon also called the president's decision to declare martial law "wrong." He promised to stop it "together with the people."

Martial law starts working

South Korea's Defense Ministry decided to convene "key commanders" and ordered all branches of the armed forces to step up combat readiness, Yonhap news agency said. 

The South Korean Constitution says that the National Assembly can lift martial law imposed by the president by a majority vote. The opposition Democratic Party holds a majority in parliament.

Army General Park Ahn-soo has been appointed as the martial law commander. He has immediately imposed a series of restrictions:

• political activities such as political associations, rallies and demonstrations have been banned;
• the National Assembly, local councils and political party activities have been banned;
• all media outlets fall under the control of the martial law commander;
• all medical personnel, including residents, must return to their previous jobs within 48 hours;
• all those violating martial law decree can be arrested without a warrant;
• Habeas corpus (personal immunity) has been suspended in South Korea.

Yoon Suk Yeol won the presidential election in the spring of 2022 with 48.59% of the vote. In those elections, he ran as a candidate from the conservative People's Power Party (PPP). However, his party suffered a crushing defeat in the 2024 parliamentary elections. Currently, it has only 108 votes (out of 300), against 170 for the opposition Democratic Party (DPK).

South Korea is a presidential republic. The president acts as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the republic and has significant executive powers. Thus, the president appoints the prime minister with the approval of the National Assembly (the unicameral parliament of South Korea). The president also appoints and chairs the State Council, the country's main executive body.

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Yoon Suk Yeol is a South Korean politician and attorney who has been the 13th (20th presidency) president of South Korea since 2022. A member of the People Power Party, he served from 2019 to 2021 as the prosecutor general of South Korea under his presidential predecessor, Moon Jae-in. Born in Seoul, Yoon attended Seoul National University. In his capacity as chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office, he played a key role in convicting former presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak of abuse of power. President Moon appointed Yoon prosecutor general of South Korea in 2019. During Yoon's leadership, the Supreme Prosecutor's Office conducted embattled investigations into Cho Kuk, an influential figure in the Moon administration, that led to Cho's resignation as minister of justice. Yoon's clashes with the Moon administration until he resigned as prosecutor general in March 2021 led to his rise as a prominent presidential candidate among conservative voters ahead of the 2022 presidential election