The South Korean parliament has voted to defy the country’s president and immediately lift his martial law declaration.
President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law late on Tuesday, vowing to eliminate “anti-state” forces as he struggles against an opposition that controls the country’s parliament and that he accuses of sympathising with communist North Korea.
The surprising move harkened back to an era of authoritarian leaders that the country has not seen since the 1980s, and it was immediately denounced by the opposition and the leader of Yoon’s own conservative party.
“I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order,” Yoon 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.
It is the first time since 1980 that martial law was declared in South Korea.
People watch a TV screen showing South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s televised briefing at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea on December 3. Photo: AP