SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared “emergency martial law,” Tuesday accusing the country's opposition of controlling parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and crippling the government with anti-government activities.
Yoon made the announcement in a televised press conference on Tuesday, vowing to “eliminate the pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.”
It is not clear how Yoon's move will affect the country's governance and democracy. The move drew immediate opposition from politicians, including the leader of his own opposition party, Han Dong-hoon, who called the decision “wrong” and vowed to “stop it with the people.” Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, called Yoon's announcement “illegal and unconstitutional.”
“With this martial law, I will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into the depths of national ruin,” Yoon said during a televised address, using South Korea's official name.
“I will eliminate the anti-government forces immediately and normalize the country,” he said, while asking people to believe in him and endure “some disruption.”
Yoon – whose approval rating has dipped in recent months – has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022.
Yoon's conservative People Power Party has been locked in a dispute with the opposition Democratic Party over next year's budget bill. The opposition has also tried to pass proposals to impeach three top prosecutors, including the head of the Seoul District Prosecutors Office, in what conservatives call a vendetta against their criminal investigation into Lee, who has emerged as his favorite. the next presidential election of 2027 in the polls.
Yoon has been dismissing calls for an independent investigation into scandals involving his wife and senior officials, drawing swift and strong rebuke from his political rivals. The Democratic Party is reported to have called an emergency meeting of its lawmakers following Yoon's announcement.
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