South Korea martial law
\nSouth Korean lawmakers demand President Yoon\u2019s resignation following hours-long martial law
\n Seoul
\nSouth Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said he would lift a surprise 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.
\nSouth Korean lawmakers on Wednesday called on President Yoon Suk Yeol to resign or face impeachment after he declared martial law only to reverse the move hours later, triggering a political crisis in Asia\u2019s fourth-largest economy.
\nIn South Korea\u2019s biggest political crisis in decades, Yoon shocked the nation and declared martial law on Tuesday night to thwart \u201canti-state forces\u201d among his domestic political opponents. But outraged lawmakers unanimously rejected the decree.
\nYonhap news agency said the cabinet had agreed early on Wednesday to scrap the martial law.
\nProtesters outside the National Assembly parliament shouted and clapped. \u201cWe won!\u201d they chanted, and one demonstrator banged on a drum.
\nThe main opposition Democratic Party called for Yoon, who has been in office since 2022, to resign or face impeachment.
\n\u201cEven if martial law is lifted, he cannot avoid treason charges. It was clearly revealed to the entire nation that President Yoon could no longer run the country normally. He should step down,\u201d senior DP member of parliament Park Chan-dae said in a statement.
\n\u201cSouth Korea as a nation dodged a bullet, but President Yoon may have shot himself in the foot,\u201d said Danny Russel, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute think tank in the United States.
\nThe South Korean won currency came off a more than two-year low against the dollar after Yoon\u2019s reversal, while exchange traded funds linked to South Korean stocks similarly cut losses.
\nYoon\u2019s surprise declaration of martial law, which he cast as aimed at his political foes, was 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.
\nThe crisis in a country that has been a democracy since the 1980s, and is a U.S. ally and major Asian economy, caused international alarm.
\nAfter Yoon\u2019s announcement of martial law in a TV address, South Korea\u2019s military had 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.
\nHelmeted troops briefly tried to enter the parliament building. Parliamentary aides were seen trying to push the soldiers back by spraying fire extinguishers.
\nThe White House said it was pleased Yoon had backed down.
\n\u201cWe are relieved President Yoon has reversed course on his concerning declaration of martial law and respected the… National Assembly\u2019s vote to end it,\u201d a White House spokesperson said.
\nEarlier, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the United States was watching events in South Korea with \u201cgrave concern.\u201d Some 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea to guard against the nuclear-armed North.
\nYoon did not cite any specific threat from the North, instead focusing on his domestic political opponents. It was the first time since 1980 that martial law has been declared in South Korea.
\nRussel, who was the top US diplomat for East Asia under former President Barack Obama, said South Korea was now looking at the prospect of snap elections.
\n\u201cPolitical uncertainty and domestic strife in South Korea is not our friend. Political uncertainty and domestic strife in South Korea is North Korea\u2019s friend, however. You can be sure that North Korea is licking its chops,\u201d he said.
\nYoon, 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\u2019s fourth-largest economy.
\nBut he has been unpopular, with his support ratings hovering at around 20% for months.
\nHis 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.
\nThere have been more than a dozen instances of martial law being declared since South Korea was established as a republic in 1948.
\nIn 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, labour and students for the restoration of democratic government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
South Korea martial law South Korean lawmakers demand President Yoon\u2019s resignation following hours-long martial law Seoul South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said he would lift a surprise 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-447446","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n