In a live, emergency national address on Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol proclaimed martial law, according to Reuters.
Yeol declared that he would destroy “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces” in his surprise late-night speech on YTN broadcast.
Yeol focussed on his rivals in the Southern political circuit, but he made no reference of any particular threat posed by nuclear-armed North Korea.
The entire nation, having had a string of autocratic rulers in its early history, was taken aback by the action. According to reports, South Korea has had democratic presidents since the 1980s.
Notably, this move caused the value of the Korean won to plummet in relation to the US dollar.
The president of South Korea stated that he was forced to take this action to safeguard the free and constitutional order, and he added that opposition parties had taken over the legislative process with the goal of causing a crisis in the nation.
Martial Law – Reason for Declaration
“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 stated.
The president did not, however, outline the actions that will be taken in this case. Meanwhile, the entrance to the parliament was closed, according to the Yonhap news agency.
Additionally, Yonhap stated that Yoon was presented with the proposal for martial law by the defence minister of South Korea.
The Democratic Party, which has a majority in the Parliament, is led by Lee Jae-myung, who declared that “tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and soldiers with guns and knives will rule the country.”
“The Republic of Korea’s economy will irreversibly collapse. In an online webcast, Lee urged his fellow citizens to attend the National Assembly.
During his speech, Yoon also mentioned an impeachment motion that the Democratic Party had filed this week. They rejected a government budget proposal and impeached some of South Korea’s top prosecutors.
The opposition’s decision to cut more than 4 trillion won from the government’s proposed budget was met with protests from South Korean ministers on Monday. According to Yoon, such a move compromises the government’s fundamental operations.
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Shubhangi Gupta is a distinguished content writer and the visionary founder of The Unpleasant – Acha Nahi Sabse Sacha. With a Master’s degree in Commerce from University of Lucknow, Shubhangi has seamlessly blended her academic background with her passion for reading and writing, embarking on a successful career as a content writer since 2019.
