South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declares emergency martial law amid political crisis

South Korean declared an “emergency martial law” on Tuesday with President Yoon Suk Yeol, accusing the opposition of plotting an “insurgency” and “trying to overthrow the free democracy” in the country, as reported by the New York Times.
In a nationally televised speech, President Yoon denounced the opposition for using its majority in the National Assembly to impeach members of his cabinet and block the passage of his government’s budget plans, New York Times reported.
This, he said has “paralyzed the administration.” Yoon further said, “The National Assembly, which should have been the foundation of free democracy, has become a monster that destroys it,” the New York Times reported.
According Al Jazeera, President Yoon Suk Yeol said that he will rebuild a free and democratic country through the martial law. “To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements… I hereby declare emergency martial law,” Yoon said, as reported by Al Jazeera.
He added, “This is an unavoidable measure to ensure the freedom and safety of the people and guarantee the sustainability of the nation against the unrest stirred by these subversive, anti-state elements.”
This declaration comes amid rising political tensions in South Korea.
In response, the liberal opposition Democratic Party has called for an emergency meeting, Al Jazeera reported.
Notably, this is the first time a South Korean president has declared martial law since the end of the military dictatorship in the late 1980s.
President Yoon, who was elected in 2022, has been in a near-constant political standoff with the Democratic Party over the budget bill for next year, as reported by Al Jazeera.