South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday vowed to stamp out “anti-state” forces as he battles the opposition party that controls the country’s parliament by imposing martial law. He alleged that the opposition sympathized with communist North Korea.
The surprising move took the country back to the era of authoritarian leaders. The country has not seen this situation since the 1980s. Leaders of the opposition and Yun’s own conservative party immediately condemned the move.
Following Yoon’s announcement, South Korea’s military announced that parliament and other political gatherings that could cause “social confusion” would be suspended, state-funded Yonhap news agency reported.
The army also said the country’s striking doctors must return to work within 48 hours. Thousands of doctors have been on strike for months against government plans to increase the number of students in medical schools.
However, it was not immediately known how long Yun’s declared martial law would last. Under South Korean law, martial law can be lifted by a majority vote in parliament even if the opposition Democratic Party has a majority. TV footage showed police officers blocking the entrance to the National Assembly.
Han Dong-hun, leader of Yun’s conservative People’s Power Party, called the decision to impose martial law “wrong” and vowed to “take the people together and stop it.” Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, called Yoon’s announcement “illegal and unconstitutional.”
In a televised speech, Yun said martial law would help prevent the country from “falling deeper into restructuring and national destruction”. “I will eliminate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order,” he said.
Urging the people to trust him and bear ‘some difficulties’, he said, “I will eliminate anti-state forces as soon as possible and normalize the country.