South Korea’s parliament votes to lift the martial law declaration, defying the president

The president of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol he declared martial law late on Tuesday, vowing to eliminate “anti-national” forces as he battles the opposition party that controls the country’s parliament and that he suspects of communist sympathies. North Korea.

Hours later, parliament voted to repeal the declaration, with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik announcing that lawmakers would “protect democracy for the people.” Woo called for the police and military to withdraw from the Parliament premises.

This decision was passed by 190 out of 300 members of the ruling party and opposition parties, and all were in favor, reported the BBC.

The president’s dramatic move harked back to an era of authoritarian leaders the country has not seen since the 1980s, and was immediately criticized by the opposition and Yoon’s party leader.

After Yoon’s announcement, the South Korean military announced that parliament and other political gatherings that could cause “public confusion” would be suspended, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.

The military also said that the country’s doctors who are on strike must return to work within 48 hours, Yonhap said. Thousands of doctors have been on strike for months because of government plans to increase the number of students in medical schools. The military said anyone who violates the law can be arrested without a warrant.

Under South Korean law, martial law can be lifted by a majority vote in parliament, where the opposition Democratic Party holds a majority.

Shortly after this announcement, the Speaker of the National Assembly called for an emergency statement released on his YouTube channel for all lawmakers to gather in the National Assembly. He appealed to the military and law enforcement to “remain calm and hold their positions.”

All 190 lawmakers who participated in the vote supported the lifting of martial law. Television footage showed soldiers who had been working in parliament leaving the area after the vote.

In the past hours, television footage showed police closing the door of the National Assembly and armed soldiers with guns in front of the building to prevent entry into the building. Dozens of police patrol cars and riot police buses have gathered, the BBC reports.

“Please open the gate, your job is to protect the National Legislature. Why are you doing nothing when members of Parliament are being trampled on?” a middle-aged man shouts to a group of policemen guarding the gate.

An Associated Press photographer saw at least three helicopters, possibly military, arriving inside the Convention grounds, while two or three helicopters circled above the site.

The leader of Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, called the decision to impose martial law “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.”

Yoon said during a televised speech that martial law will help “rebuild and protect” the country “from falling into the depths of national ruin.” He said he will “completely destroy the forces that support North Korea and protect the democratic order in the constitution.”

“I will eliminate the anti-government forces as soon as possible and normalize the country,” he said, while asking people to believe in him and endure “some inconvenience.”

A spokesman for the White House National Security Council told CBS News that the Biden administration was not notified in advance of the martial law declaration but was in contact with the South Korean government and “monitoring the situation closely.”

“We are very concerned about the developments we are seeing on the ground in the ROK,” the speaker said, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

A White House official told CBS News that President Biden, who is leaving In Angolainformed of this situation.

Washington is stationing about 28,500 troops in South Korea to protect it from North Korea, its nuclear-armed neighbor.

“We view the recent developments in the ROK with great concern,” said US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell. “We hope and expect that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the law.”

Yoon – whose approval rating has declined in recent months – has struggled to achieve his goals against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022.

Yoon’s party is locked in the middle of opposition parties 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 of Lee, who has emerged as the favorite in the next presidential election in 2027 in opinion polls.

Yoon also dismissed 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.

Yoon’s move is the first declaration of martial law since the country’s 1987 democratization. The last martial law in the country was in October 1979.

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.