SEOUL (Reuters) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Wednesday he would lift a shock martial law declaration he had imposed just hours before, backing down in a standoff with parliament which roundly rejected his attempt to ban political activity and censor the media.
Yoon declared martial law on Tuesday night in a televised address to thwart “anti-state forces” among his domestic political opponents. But outraged lawmakers rejected the decree, in South Korea’s biggest political crisis in decades. Yonhap news agency said the cabinet had agreed early on Wednesday to scrap the martial law.
South Korea’s won currency KRW= recovered somewhat after Yoon backed down and was 0.8% lower at 1,414.45 per dollar.
Protesters outside the National Assembly parliament shouted and clapped. “We won!” they chanted and one demonstrator banged on a drum.
Cho Kuk, head of a minor opposition party, met protesters outside parliament and said: “This isn’t over. He put all the people in shock.” He vowed to impeach Yoon by putting together votes from other parties.
Yoon’s surprise declaration of martial law, which he cast as aimed at his political foes, was unanimously voted down by 190 lawmakers in parliament. His own party urged him to lift the decree. Under South Korean law, the president must immediately lift martial law if parliament demands it by a majority vote.
The crisis in a country that has been a democracy since the 1980s, and is a US ally and major Asian economy, caused international alarm.
Police stand guard in front of the main gate of the National Assembly in Seoul on December 3, 2024. (Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
US had ‘grave concern’
Earlier, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the United States was watching events in South Korea with “grave concern” and hoped that any political disputes would be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law. Some 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea to guard against the North.
Israel’s embassy in Seoul urged its citizens in the country to avoid public places until the situation in the country settles down, but said it was still too early to assess the ramifications of Yoon’s declaration.
After Yoon’s announcement of martial law, South Korea’s military said activities by parliament and political parties would be banned, and that media and publishers would be under the control of the martial law command.
Helmeted troops briefly tried to enter the parliament building. Parliamentary aides were seen trying to push the soldiers back by spraying fire extinguishers.
Yoon did not cite any specific threat from the nuclear-armed North, instead focusing on his domestic political opponents. It is the first time since 1980 that martial law has been declared in South Korea.
People gather in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP/Ahn Young-joon)
Yoon, a career prosecutor, squeezed out a victory in the tightest presidential election in South Korean history in 2022. He rode a wave of discontent over economic policy, scandals and gender wars, aiming to reshape the political future of Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
But he has been unpopular, with his support ratings hovering at around 20% for months.
His People Power Party suffered a landslide defeat at a parliamentary election in April this year, ceding control of the unicameral assembly to opposition parties that captured nearly two-thirds of the seats.
There have been more than a dozen instances of martial law declaration since South Korea was established as a republic in 1948.
The last time, in 1980, a group of military officers led by Chun Doo-hwan forced then-president Choi Kyu-hah to proclaim martial law to crush calls by the opposition, labor and students for the restoration of democratic government.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
