Military announces suspension of all parliamentary activity – report
The Yonhap News Agency is reporting that members of the national assembly have been banned from entering the building, with the South Korean military having reportedly announced the suspension of all parliamentary activity. We have not yet independently verified this information. The parliament speaker is traveling to parliament and plans to convene a session, according to local broadcaster YTN TV.
Key events
Here are some of the latest images coming from the newswires out of Seoul, south Korea’s capital city:
South Korea’s main opposition, the Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, has called on all its lawmakers to assemble at the national assembly, the Yonhap news agency is reporting. This is despite the entrance to parliament reportedly being blocked.
“President Yoon declared emergency martial law for no reason,” Lee Jae-myung, who has branded the declaration unconstitutional, said. “Tanks, armored vehicles and soldiers with guns and swords will soon control the country.” The last time martial law was declared in South Korea was in 1979, after the assassination of the then South Korean dictator Park Chung-hee, who had seized power in a military coup in 1961.
The US, south Korea’s most powerful ally, has not yet commented on the martial law declaration. About 28,500 American troops are stationed in south Korea to guard against north Korea, led by Kim Jong Un.
Military announces suspension of all parliamentary activity – report
The Yonhap News Agency is reporting that members of the national assembly have been banned from entering the building, with the South Korean military having reportedly announced the suspension of all parliamentary activity. We have not yet independently verified this information. The parliament speaker is traveling to parliament and plans to convene a session, according to local broadcaster YTN TV.
A spokesperson for the finance ministry says south Korea’s most senior economy officials will hold a meeting now (11:40pm local time; 1440 GMT), according to Reuters. We will bring you the latest as soon as we get it.
It wasn’t immediately clear how Yoon’s step would affect the country’s governance and democracy. The move drew immediate opposition from politicians, including the leader of his own conservative party, Han Dong-hoon, who called the decision “wrong” and vowed to “stop it with the people”.
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, called Yoon’s announcement “illegal and unconstitutional”.
“Through this martial law, I will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into the depths of national ruin,” Yoon said during a televised speech, invoking South Korea’s formal name.
“I will eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and normalise the country,” he said, while asking the people to believe in him and tolerate “some inconveniences”.
South Korea’s president declares ’emergency martial law’, vowing to ‘eradicate pro-North Korean forces’
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol declared an “emergency martial law” on Tuesday, accusing the country’s opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathising with North Korea and paralysing the government with anti-state activities.
Yoon made the announcement during a televised briefing, vowing to “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.” It wasn’t immediately clear how the steps would affect the country’s governance and democracy.
Yoon – whose approval rating has dipped in recent months – has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022.
Yoon’s conservative People Power party had been locked in an impasse with the liberal opposition Democratic party over next year’s budget bill. He has also been dismissing calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife and top officials, drawing quick, strong rebukes from his political rivals.
The Democratic party reportedly called an emergency meeting of its lawmakers after Yoon’s announcement.
