South Korea Lifts President’s Martial Law Order Hours After Declaration

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in a late-night address broadcast on South Korea’s YTN news channel on Dec. 3.

Yoon, a member of the country’s People Power party, said martial law was necessary because his political opposition, which controls South Korea’s national assembly, had hindered government work.

“They are paralyzing the judiciary by intimidating judges and impeaching a large number of prosecutors, and even paralyzing the executive branch by impeaching the minister of public administration and security, the chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, the chairman of the Board of Audit and Inspection, and the minister of national defense,” Yoon said.

The South Korean president further accused his political opposition of sympathizing with communist North Korea.

“I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order,” Yoon said.

Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung called the martial law declaration “illegal and unconstitutional” and called on South Korean citizens to gather at the national assembly in opposition.

Yoon won office in 2022 but has struggled since then to advance his agenda through the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

The South Korean president has recently clashed with the opposition over the national budget. He has also rebuffed calls for investigations into his wife’s stock trading activities and allegations she has accepted luxury gifts.

It’s not clear how long Yoon’s martial law declaration can last. Under South Korean law, martial law orders can be lifted with a majority vote in the parliament. However, the martial law proclamation states that political activities, including those of the National Assembly, are currently prohibited.

The martial law proclamation also impacts news publications in the country.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.