Late around 10:30 p.m on December 4, many Korean citizens were getting ready to relax after a long day when they discovered a video of President Yoon on a late night TV program. Citizens were confused and believed the video to be a deep fake or AI generated. However, that was not the case; President Yoon had officially declared martial law.
Martial Law grants the military the temporary rule of a country during an emergency such as a war; this law is the president’s constitutional right to declare. However, it is also the National Assembly’s power to lift the declaration with a majority vote. This announcement means that all political activities are banned, prohibiting any denying of free democracy.
The late night announcement shook the nation as many of the citizens still remember a bitter past with martial law. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, since the founding of South Korea in 1948, roughly 16 martial laws have been declared by South Korean leaders. Some were declared during times of war, and others simply wished to stay in power.
With President Yoon’s declaration, he vowed to eliminate “anti-state” forces and had also accused the opposition party of plotting a rebellion and siding with North Korea.
As soon as martial law was declared, politicians, lawmakers, and protesters rushed to the parliament to lift the decree. Lawmakers had to push past soldiers who were deployed to block off anyone entering the building. Videos on South Korean media showed protestors shouting to end martial law.
Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the opposition party, streamed himself on X jumping over a fence to enter the building. Ultimately, 180 lawmakers were able to make it into the parliament. Inside, the lawmakers attended an emergency meeting held by Woo Won-Shik, the speaker of the National Assembly. Most were opposition members but had multiple members of Yoon’s own party, those members then voted to lift the decree.
After 6 hours, the martial law was lifted. On December 7, President Yoon apologized on television and stated, “The declaration of martial law was born out of desperation as the president, the ultimate head of state. But, it caused anxiety and discomfort to the people in the process. I feel deep regret for this and I offer my sincere apology to the people who must have been greatly surprised…”
Currently, Yoon is facing impeachment and is being banned from traveling abroad. South Korea’s Justice Ministry imposed this ban as Yoon is actively being investigated for allegations of rebellion and other charges.