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South Korea’s national assembly has voted to block president Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law, setting up a confrontation between lawmakers and the head of state.
In a televised address on Tuesday night, Yoon, a hardline former chief prosecutor, announced the emergency measure as he accused the left-wing bloc that controls parliament of North Korean sympathies and plotting rebellion.
He added that he would “eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and normalise the country”.
State television showed live footage early on Wednesday local time of soldiers seeking to block large crowds from entering the parliament building even as some legislators gathered in the chamber.
The martial law declaration bans “all political activities, including those of the National Assembly, local councils, political parties”, and demonstrations.
It adds that “all media and publications will be subject to the control of the Martial Law Command”.
Yoon has been at odds with the opposition majority in parliament, which last week voted to cut almost $3bn from his proposed 2025 budget, a move seen as an attempt to rein in the presidency.
Accusing Yoon of authoritarian tendencies, the left-wing parties focused their proposed cuts on the office of the president, national prosecutors and the police.
On Tuesday night, opposition leaders denounced the declaration of martial law as unconstitutional. According to the country’s constitution, a parliamentary vote can reverse such a move by the president.
Yoon 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, the DPK leader, who lost to Yoon by a margin of less than one per cent in presidential elections in 2022. “Tanks, armoured vehicles and soldiers with guns and swords will soon control the country.”
A former high-ranking South Korean army officer noted that an hour after martial law officially came into force, telephone, internet and mobile communications were still operational, while the country’s state owned media outlet has 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 will complicate relations with the US, South Korea’s most important ally, and its outgoing president Joe Biden. The US National Security Council said on Monday: “The administration is in contact with the [Korean] government and is monitoring the situation closely.”
The South Korean currency slumped to a two-year low on Tuesday after the declaration. The won was down 2.7 per cent against the dollar to 1443, its weakest level since October 2022.
New York-listed shares in South Korean companies fell at Tuesday’s open, with shipbuilder Posco and retailer Coupang both down about 7 per cent in early trading.
“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.
Yoon’s right-wing People Power Party suffered a resounding defeat at the hands of the left in parliamentary elections in April. The president has also clashed with the PPP leader Han Dong-hoon over the past year, increasing his isolation.
After the declaration of martial law, Han joined the opposition in denouncing Yoon’s move.
Additional reporting by Mari Novik
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