6 hours under martial law: Why it was declared, and failed

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6 hours under martial law: Why it was declared, and failed

Published: 04 Dec. 2024, 13:03 Updated: 04 Dec. 2024, 19:41

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Citizens head to the main building of the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on Wednesday to attend an emergency meeting to call for President Yoon Suk Yeol's resignation and to push for his impeachment after he declared emergency martial law Tuesday night. [YONHAP]

Questions abound after President Yoon Suk Yeol's surprise declaration of emergency martial law Tuesday night — why did he do it, and what comes next?

Yoon declared emergency martial law a bit before 10:30 p.m., which was lifted only six hours later after the National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to lift it. This was the first time in 45 years and the 17th time in Korea’s whole history that a state of martial law was declared.

The fact that even members of Yoon’s own People Power Party (PPP) did not receive a notification about the declaration is demonstrative of the historical implications of such a declaration and is a concerning indication of the president's reluctance to adhere to democratic norms and institutions, experts say.

“The late-night declaration of martial law is an extreme move that undermines Korea's democratic institutions,” said Celeste Arrington, a Korea Foundation associate professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University. “It shows how frustrated Yoon has grown with the National Assembly, which the opposition party has controlled for his entire time in office.”

Yoon took office in May 2022, but has effectively been a lame duck since the opposition Democratic Party (DP) won a landslide victory in the general elections in April this year. Since then, the Yoon administration has failed to pass the bills it wants, and is instead stuck vetoing bills passed by the DP.

The president’s approval rating has also been continuously declining, dipping below 20 percent, and he has faced criticism over several corruption scandal allegations, including ones involving first lady Kim Keon Hee and stock manipulation.

Such recent tensions within the Korean political scene may have been a key factor in Yoon’s sudden move, Arrington said.

“Legislators have been at loggerheads with the president over the government's budget and the opposition party's repeated efforts to impeach key government figures,” observed Arrington. “But the declaration of martial law reveals a lack of forbearance and mutual tolerance that are critical for a functioning democracy.”

Martial law can be declared by the president under the Korean Constitution, but the legality rests on whether the state of the nation meets certain conditions outlined by Article 77.

People chant slogans ahead of the emergency session of the National Assembly scheduled to be hosted by the Democratic Party of Korea on the steps of the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

“Martial law can only be declared under certain conditions, which are not present in Korea today,” Arrington pointed out. “The declaration of martial law seems to violate the Constitution because it is not a situation wherein it is ‘necessary to respond to military needs or maintain public order in wartime, an incident or similar emergency.’

“Yoon may have also violated the Martial Law Act, depending on whether he deliberated with ministers in advance,” Arrington added. “And sending the military into the National Assembly repeats past authoritarian leaders' illiberal tactics.”

Calls for the impeachment of Yoon are already echoing throughout the political sphere, according to multiple reports. The Yoon-aligned PPP is currently “forming a consensus” on the president’s expulsion from the party and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun’s replacement, according to multiple party members present at the PPP senior meeting held Wednesday morning.

The swift lifting of the emergency martial law, which lasted only six hours, also shows that Yoon was unprepared for the variables involved.

New Reform Party leader Heo Eun-A and floor leader Chun Ha-ram hold a press conference on Wednesday near the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul, condemning President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law Tuesday and calling for his resignation. [NEWS1]

Lawmakers gathered within the hour at the National Assembly building in Yeouido, western Seoul, after Yoon declared emergency martial law, while the military mobilization at the scene was lackluster in carrying out orders and experiencing difficulty in gaining control of the situation within the parliament building as well as outside, with a swarm of more than 200 citizen protestors quickly gathering in Yeouido in the night.

While many are worrying about the state of democracy in Korea after the events that unfolded between Tuesday and Wednesday, some experts see a positive angle.

“A decision that the majority of the Korean people could not accept or imagine was made by the president, but the situation also showed the resilience of Korean democracy,” said Kang Won-taek, professor of political science at Seoul National University. “The president’s reckless decision was rejected immediately by the National Assembly and such a constitutional procedure was ultimately accepted. Yesterday’s events show that methods such as a coup d'état or martial law using the military are not possible anymore in Korea.”

However, Kang warned of increased political uncertainty, including Yoon’s position, that could pose a burden on Korea in the coming weeks.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]