South Korea: National Assembly Lifts Martial Law Decree

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Facts

  • South Korea's National Assembly passed a resolution to repeal martial law in the early hours of Wednesday, with all 190 lawmakers present supporting the motion — including 18 members of the ruling People Power Party (PPP).[1][2]
  • According to Article 77 of the country's Constitution and Article 11 of the Martial Law Act, the president must comply "without delay" when at least 150 members of parliament vote to lift martial law, with Yoon Suk Yeol reversing the decree shortly after the vote.[1][3][4]
  • Clashes were reported before the vote, as military troops believed to be part of the martial law forces sought to block lawmakers from entering the main hall of the National Assembly in downtown Seoul.[2][5]
  • This comes as Yoon declared emergency martial law late on Tuesday, banning all political activities and strikes and placing all media under control of the Martial Law Command, allegedly to "eradicat[e] pro-North Korean forces" and "protect liberal democracy."[6][7]
  • The declaration was the 17th in South Korea since its formal establishment — and the first since 1979, when then-interim Pres. Choi Kyu-hah proclaimed martial law after the killing of Pres. Park Chung-hee.[8][9]
  • This time, the imposition of martial law comes as the opposition has filed multiple impeachment motions against government officials and introduced a downsized budget bill, and as Yoon's approval rating fell below 20% in a Gallup Korea poll released last week.[6][10]

Sources: [1]Korea Joongang Daily, [2]The Korea Times, [3]Hankyoreh, [4]CNN, [5]The Wall Street Journal, [6]Yonhap News Agency, [7]Reuters, [8]The Korea Herald, [9]Bloomberg and [10]The Dong-a Ilbo.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by BBC News. As if his unpopular administration tarnished by corruption scandals wasn't disastrous enough, Yoon decided to double down and invoke an illegal martial law out of nowhere to try to dodge mounting political pressure. As expected, that undemocratic move backfired — and the president is now in an even worse situation.
  • Narrative B, as provided by The Chosun Daily. Given the globally unprecedented attempts from the opposition to create chaos in South Korea, Yoon had no choice other than to declare martial law. It's the so-called Democratic Party, rather than the president, that wants to undermine legitimate democratic institutions and the constitutional order in the country.