1 of 5 | Crowds chanted “End martial law!” and “Arrest Yoon Suk Yeol!” outside the National Assembly early Wednesday morning. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI
South Korea’s National Assembly voted early Wednesday morning to lift the martial law imposed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, the evening before, when he declared the opposition party was plotting a rebellion against the government.
During a session at 1 a.m. local time, 190 members present in the plenary session voted to demand Yoon lift martial law. The parliamentary speaker’s office said the vote makes the Yoon martial law declaration void, according to the country’s constitution. Advertisement
Gen. Park An-su, South Korea’s Army Chief of Staff had banned all political activities after Yoon declared martial law on Tuesday night, which included demonstrations and political party activities.
The official decree, sent to reporters, also said that “all media and publications are subject to the control of martial law command.”
“Fake news, public opinion manipulation and false propaganda are prohibited,” the decree said, warning that violators could be arrested without a warrant. Advertisement
Yoon had been angered by the opposition party, which had issued impeachment motions against the state auditor and chief prosecutor and pushed through a smaller budget proposal through a committee. The president called them North Korean sympathizers, a sensitive charge among South Koreans.
Yoon charged his opponents with anti-state activities against the government.
“I declare martial law in order to eradicate the shameless pro-North Korea anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people and to protect the free constitutional order,” Yoon said in a televised speech.
Thousands of protesters gathered outside the National Assembly building in the early hours of Wednesday morning, chanting “End martial law!” and “Arrest Yoon Suk Yeol!”
A heavy police presence lined the National Assembly compound’s entrances and fanned out across adjoining streets. A pair of armored military vehicles were positioned at one intersection, surrounded by angry protesters.
Yoo Byoung-O, 26, said he traveled an hour to attend protests at the National Assembly immediately after he heard the news.
“If we are going to face martial law, I want to be part of the resistance,” he said. “I want to make my voice heard.”
Yoo said his father had told him about life under the dictatorship of President Park Chung-hee, who was assassinated in 1979. South Korea held its first free elections in 1988 after years of pro-democracy demonstrations that were sometimes met with brutal crackdowns. Advertisement
“My father and I were so shocked when we heard about the martial law [declaration],” Yoo said. “This feels like something out of the past, a bad old tradition.”
The National Assembly still managed to meet even after reports surfaced that the entrance to the building had been blocked.
“The National Assembly has become a monster undermining liberal democracy, and the nation is in a precarious state, teetering on the edge of collapse,” Yoon said in his statement. “We will eliminate the anti-state forces and restore the country to normalcy as quickly as possible.”
Yoon, however, did not say what specific measures he would be taking under martial law that would change his political reality of a legislative body that has favored the opposition along with his low approval ratings.
Clyde Hughes contributed to this report.
