Live Updates: South Korean Lawmakers Vote to Defy President, Demanding an End to Martial Law
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President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea declared emergency martial law on Tuesday, banning “all political activities,” in an extraordinary reaction to the political deadlock that has hobbled his tenure.
The full extent of what martial law entails was not immediately clear, but the announcement enabled the president to take command of the news media. His declaration set off protesters clashing with the police outside the National Assembly, and an immediate effort by opposition lawmakers to halt the decree. It was the first time a South Korean president had declared martial law since the military dictatorship ended in the country in the late 1980s.
Mr. Yoon, who is seen in South Korea as a deeply unpopular and divisive leader, accused the opposition of plotting an “insurgency” and “trying to overthrow the free democracy.”
In a late-night meeting, the National Assembly adopted a resolution demanding the lifting of martial law. The South Korean act on martial law states that if the assembly demands an end to it, the president must lift it “without delay.”
Some demonstrators appeared to be trying to enter the National Assembly as police officers tried to block them, as seen in images broadcast by local networks.
“End martial law! End martial law!” protesters chanted.
Elected president in 2022, Mr. Yoon has been in a near-constant political standoff with the opposition, which controls the National Assembly.
In a nationally televised speech on Tuesday night, he denounced the opposition for repeatedly using its majority in the National Assembly to impeach members of his cabinet and block the passage of his government’s budget plans.
This has “paralyzed the administration,” Mr. Yoon said. “The National Assembly, which should have been the foundation of free democracy, has become a monster that destroys it.”
Lee Jae-myung, the opposition leader, rejected Mr. Yoon’s reasoning.
“There is no reason to declare martial law. We cannot let the military rule this country,” Mr. Lee said. “President Yoon Seok Yeol has betrayed the people. President Yoon’s illegal declaration of emergency martial law is null and void.”
Army Gen. Park An-soo, who was appointed martial law commander, banned “all political activities,” including political party activities and citizens’ rallies, and labor activities.
And the Constitution states that martial law allows the president, who has frequently clashed with the news media, to limit freedom of the press. Gen. Park said in a decree that “all news media and publications are under the control of martial law command,” warning that those who spread “fake news” could be arrested without a court warrant.
Woo Won-shik, the speaker of the National Assembly, called on all lawmakers to gather in the main chamber of the assembly to discuss how to respond to the declaration of martial law.
Mr. Yoon’s move was also criticized by the leader of his own political party. Han Dong-hoon, the head of the People Power Party, said in a Facebook post that the president’s “martial law declaration is wrong” and that he would “work with the citizens to stop it.”
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