South Korea’s national assembly has voted to block President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law, as lawmakers and the head of state wrestle for control of the country.
In a televised address on Tuesday night, Yoon announced “emergency” martial law and accused the leftwing majority in parliament of plotting rebellion and harbouring North Korean sympathies.
State television showed live footage early on Wednesday local time of soldiers seeking to block large crowds from entering the parliament building even as lawmakers inside voted to block Yoon’s decree.
According to the country’s constitution, a parliamentary vote can reverse a declaration of martial law but it was not immediately clear whether Yoon would comply.
Han Dong-hoon, the leader of Yoon’s own People Power party, called on the military to stand down in the aftermath of the vote.
“Martial law has lost its effect,” he posted on social media. “So from this moment on, all state institutions exercising physical force, including the military and police of the Republic of Korea, are obligated not to follow unlawful or unfair instruction.”
The office of the speaker of the national assembly said later on Tuesday that troops had withdrawn from the assembly building.
The martial law declaration banned “all political activities, including those of the national assembly, local councils, political parties” and demonstrations.
It added that “all media and publications will be subject to the control of the martial law command”.
Yoon, a hardline former chief prosecutor whose popularity had plunged to record lows in recent months, said he would “eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and normalise the country”.
His declaration of martial law was the first since the 1987 introduction of democracy in South Korea, which was ruled by rightwing military governments after the end of the Korean war in the 1950s.
The president, who has praised past military leaders for their economic achievements, has been accused by opponents of reviving the country’s authoritarian tradition.
After winning election in 2022 by a margin of less than one percentage point, his poll ratings fell amid a slowing economy and political gridlock. His PPP was resoundingly defeated by the left in parliamentary elections in April and one poll last week put his approval rating at just 19 per cent.
The confrontation between Yoon and his leftwing rivals is the culmination of long-simmering tensions. Opposition leaders say they have been persecuted by prosecutors allied with the president.
Yoon said on Tuesday night that opposition attempts to impeach his administration’s senior officials had forced his hand by paralysing the state.
He pledged to “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order”, but did not elaborate on how martial law would be enforced.
He asked the South Korean people to believe in him and tolerate “some inconveniences” as he accused the opposition of plotting rebellion.
“President Yoon declared emergency martial law for no reason,” said Lee Jae-myung, leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, on Tuesday night. “Tanks, armoured vehicles and soldiers with guns and swords will soon control the country.”
Kim Pil-sung, managing partner at Seoul-based firm Garosu Law, said that with the national assembly having rejected Yoon’s martial law declaration, “the key is the military’s next move”.
“If the military sides with Yoon, this could be a coup d’état,” said Kim, who has advised opposition parties on policy matters.
“But the possibility doesn’t seem to be high, because military generals have seen their predecessors from the past get punished for treason even after coups that were successful,” he added.
A former high-ranking South Korean army officer noted that several hours after martial law officially came into force, telephone, internet and mobile communications were still operational, while the country’s state-owned media outlet had continued to report opposition lawmakers’ fierce criticism of the move.
“If they were really serious about enforcing martial law, all the communications would have been cut, there would be a media blackout, a curfew, and opposition members of the national assembly would likely have been arrested,” said the former officer.
“While we cannot rule out the situation deteriorating, this gives me the impression that this could just be a political gambit by the president to rally rightwing forces behind him,” they added. “But if it is, then it is incredibly foolish.”
Yoon’s move could complicate relations with the US, South Korea’s most important ally.
US deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell said Washington was watching with “grave concern” and was engaging with the South Korean government “at every level”.
He added that President Joe Biden and his top officials were being kept abreast of the situation.
“I do want to underscore that our alliance with the Republic of Korea is ironclad, and we stand by Korea in their time of uncertainty,” Campbell said.
“I also want to just underscore that we have every hope and expectation that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.”
Seoul is a critical US ally. Biden hosted Yoon and his Japanese counterpart at Camp David last year in an effort to boost co-operation between Seoul and Tokyo, to help counter the rise of China.
The South Korean currency slumped nearly 3 per cent to a two-year low, before recovering to trade 1.3 per cent down at 1,422 to the US dollar.
New York-listed shares in South Korean companies fell at Tuesday’s opening, with steelmaker Posco and retailer Coupang both down more than 4 per cent by early afternoon.
“This is not a normal thing to happen in a developed economy,” said Lee Hardman, a currency analyst at MUFG, adding that he expected the won to come under further pressure.
Last week the opposition majority in parliament vote to cut almost $3bn from Yoon’s proposed 2025 budget, a move seen as an attempt to rein in the presidency.
Accusing Yoon of authoritarian tendencies, the leftwing parties focused their proposed cuts on the office of the president, national prosecutors and the police.
Additional reporting by Mari Novik
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