South Korea’s president shocked the country on Tuesday night when, out of the blue, he declared martial law in the Asian democracy for the first time in nearly 50 years. Yoon Suk-yeol’s drastic measure – announced in a late-night TV broadcast – mentioned “anti-state forces” and the threat from North Korea. But it soon became clear that it wasn’t spurred by external threats but by his own desperate political troubles.
Yoon has acted desperately like a president under siege, observers say. In his address on Tuesday night, he recounted the political opposition’s attempts to undermine his government before saying he was declaring martial law to “crush anti-state forces that have been wreaking havoc”.
His decree temporarily put the military in charge – with helmeted troops and police deployed to the National Assembly parliament building where helicopters were seen landing on the roof. Local media also showed scenes of masked, gun-toting troops entering the building while staffers tried to hold them off with fire extinguishers.
Around 23:00 local time on Tuesday (14:00 GMT), the military issued a decree banning protests and activity by parliament and political groups, and putting the media under government control. But South Korean politicians immediately called Yoon’s declaration illegal and unconstitutional.
The last time martial law was declared in South Korea was in 1979, when the country’s then-long-term military dictator Park Chung-hee was assassinated during a coup. Under South Korean law, the government must lift martial law if a majority in parliament demands it in a vote.
Martial law is temporary rule by military authorities in a time of emergency, when civil authorities are deemed unable to function.
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