SOUTH KOREA’S PRESIDENT DECLARES MARTIAL LAW, CLAIMS THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA
December 3rd, 2024Updated: Martial Law Lifted, Lawmakers Call to Impeach President Yoon
Via: Reuters:
South Korean lawmakers on Wednesday called for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law only to reverse the move hours later, triggering the biggest political crisis in decades in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
The surprise declaration late on Tuesday ignited a standoff with parliament which rejected his attempt to ban political activity and censor the media, as armed troops forced their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul.
A coalition of lawmakers from opposition parties said they planned to propose a bill to impeach Yoon on Wednesday which should be voted within 72 hours.
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Update: South Korea Military Says Will ‘Maintain Martial Law Until Lifted by President’
#BREAKING South Korea military says will 'maintain martial law until lifted by president', according to broadcaster pic.twitter.com/024LW2ZfcP
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 3, 2024
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Update: South Korea Parliament Rejects President’s Martial Law Declaration
Via: Reuters:
President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday night in a move that stunned South Koreans and triggered a short-lived attempt by troops to enter parliament, as lawmakers and protesters quickly voiced opposition to the most serious challenge to the country’s democracy since the 1980s.
The speaker of parliament declared the martial law announcement invalid and lawmakers early on Wednesday voted to reject it.
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Update: South Korea Troops Try to Storm Parliament After Martial Law Declared
Via: Reuters:
Troops were seen trying to enter the South Korean parliament on Wednesday after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in a surprise late-night TV address that slammed domestic political opponents and sent shockwaves through the country.
Live television footage showed troops apparently tasked with imposing martial law attempting to enter the assembly building, and parliamentary aides were seen trying to push the soldiers back by spraying fire extinguishers.
Yoon said on Tuesday night that opposition parties had taken the parliamentary process hostage. He vowed to eradicate “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces” and said he had no choice but to take the measure to safeguard constitutional order.
Shortly after Yoon made his announcement, people began gathering outside the parliament building, some of them shouting: “Withdraw emergency martial law!”
The military 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.
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Via: Independent:
South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol has declared martial law in a surprise late-night TV address, claiming he would eradicate “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces”.
He did not cite any specific threat from the nuclear-armed North, led by Kim Jong Un, instead focusing on his domestic political opponents, who he accused of throwing the country into a crisis.
“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,” he said.
Mr Yoon’s poll ratings have fallen in recent months as he dismisses calls for independent probes into scandals involving his wife and top officials, while his conservative People Power Party has been locked in an impasse with the liberal opposition Democratic Party over next year’s budget bill.
It remained unclear what specific measures would be taken under the new powers. Democratic Party leader Lee Jae Myung said his party would try to nullify the move but expressed fears that parliamentarians could be arrested.
