Martial law ended in South Korea in 1979, after the assassination of former president Park Chung He. However, the current president Yoon Suk Yeol announced martial law on Dec. 3, 2024.
Martial Law is when regular civilian government is replaced by military rule. It can be temporary, for a set amount of time, or indefinitely. This usually means more violence and less freedom, as well as the loss of civil rights in some cases.
Almost immediately, citizens started to talk about how wrong it was to enforce martial law when there is no active threat against the country; many felt that president Yeol had betrayed them. This led to raids, protesters, and many demanding action by other government officials.
Many lawmakers seemed to hold an emergency meeting, to determine how to proceed after president Yeol’s inadmissible declaration. National Assembly speaker Woo Won-shik voiced his opinion, sharing he felt the declaration to be inappropriate. The Assembly then formulated a resolution to lift president Yeol’s declaration.
President Yeol’s declaration lasted about 5 hours, until he was pressured to lift it. Shortly after, Yeol was threatened with impeachment by the ruling party, arguing that he made an ill-fated decision when he made the declaration, and that his decision has created unnecessary political upheaval.
Moments later, President Yeol delivered a speech nationwide, where he justified his earlier declaration. This defiance led party lawmakers to stop defending the president, and are now moving for a vote on the president’s impeachment for this saturday. Even with wavering support from his political party, President Yeol is remaining confident in his actions.
As of Dec. 11, President Yeol is involved in a criminal investigation, fighting insurrection charges. Developments in the case are coming often and quickly in the president’s case, with police trying to enter president Yeol’s office.
Many feel as though president Yeol’s declaration tore at South Korea’s democracy. Those concerned include civilians, government officials, and party lawmakers.All are anticipating the many updates to come.
