A Coup, Almost, in South Korea
President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, then backed off, in a matter of hours. He now faces impeachment and mass protests.
Dec 4, 2024
Late on Tuesday night in Seoul, Yoon Suk-yeol, the unpopular South Korean President facing growing calls for impeachment and resignation, appeared on television to issue an emergency declaration of martial law. All political meetings and strikes were banned; all media would be subject to government approval. The action was necessary, Yoon insisted, because of legislators’ recent attempts to impeach various members of his administration and obstruct his budget—not to mention the ever-present threat of Communist North Korea that had infiltrated the primary opposition party and was “plundering the freedom and happiness of our people.” He used the word “paralysis” again and again to describe the state of his government, which, he said, was “on the verge of collapse,” as grave a situation as actual war. Thousands of citizens and journalists crowded outside the gates of the National Assembly, while a phalanx of military special-forces officers, toting rifles, broke through windows to get inside. Helicopters flew overhead. The images recalled footage from May, 1980, in Gwangju, after the previous time a South Korean leader had instituted martial law—resulting in a government massacre of pro-democracy protesters. Around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, nearly two-thirds of the members of the National Assembly convened to vote to overturn Yoon’s declaration, under a provision of the 1987 constitution that had seemed like a relic, until now: when a majority of the legislature “requests the lifting of martial law . . . the President shall comply.”
While waiting on news of the President’s compliance, leaders of all the major parties, including Yoon’s own People Power Party, held pressers outside the National Assembly to condemn the martial-law decree and pledge “unity with the people.” Everyone looked to be in shock. The defense ministry stated that it would enforce martial law so long as it was in effect, but reportedly backed off arresting the liberal opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, of the Democratic Party, who had lost to Yoon in 2022 and has since been a target of his vengeance. President Joe Biden, who was charmed last year by Yoon’s rendition of “American Pie” at a White House dinner, signalled that the U.S. would not support him in this particular effort, as it had previous Korean authoritarians. The sleepless people of Korea (and jittery stock markets) held on for word from Presidential headquarters—which Yoon had moved to the compound of the defense ministry, next to the U.S. military base in Seoul, after his election in 2022. Around 4:20 A.M., Yoon showed up via video feed. “Based on the National Assembly’s vote, I have called back the military,” he said. He promised to withdraw the martial-law order, but warned his opponents to scrap their assault on his administration.
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Mass Protests Force South Korean President to Revoke Shocking Martial Law Declaration After 6 Hours
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol faces impeachment after opposition parties in the country’s National Assembly introduced a motion to force him from office for his shocking declaration of martial law. The conservative Yoon made his announcement in a televised briefing Tuesday evening, accusing the liberal opposition of undermining the state and possibly colluding with North Korea. Thousands of Koreans massed at the parliament to oppose the move as lawmakers rushed inside to vote unanimously to overturn Yoon’s declaration, which he rescinded just hours later. Yoon’s ouster is now all but certain, either through impeachment or his resignation, and he also faces possible treason charges.
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