South Korea Declares Martial Law To Guard Against ‘Communist Forces’

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an “emergency martial law” on Tuesday to guard against what he deemed “threats of North Korean communist forces” operating within the South Korean government.

“Dear citizens, I declare emergency martial law to defend the free Republic of Korea from the threats of North Korean communist forces and to eradicate the shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people and to protect the free constitutional order,” he said.

South Korea’s National Assembly was sealed off following his declaration, according to the country’s Yonhap news agency.

“All political activities, including those of the National Assembly, local councils, political parties, and political associations, as well as assemblies and demonstrations, are strictly prohibited,” said martial law commander Park An-su in a statement. “All media and publications shall be subject to the control of the Martial Law Command.”

In a speech, Yoon said that the political opposition inside the country had paralyzed the government’s ability to operate by initiating 22 impeachment proceedings against government officials over the last six months in addition to nearly a dozen more that were planned.

“This is a situation that is not only unprecedented in any country in the world, but has never been seen since the founding of our country,” he said. “It is paralyzing the judiciary by intimidating judges and impeaching a number of prosecutors, and it is paralyzing the executive branch by trying to impeach the Minister of the Interior, the Chairman of the Communications Commission, the Chair of the Board of Audit, and the Defense Minister.”

He said that the country’s security was being weakened by members of the National Assembly who had “undermined the essential functions of the state” by cutting key measures from the country’s national budget.

He added that the country’s Democratic Party had a “legislative dictatorship” that it was using “as a means of political struggle.”

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He said the National Assembly had turned into a “den of criminals” that was committing “obvious anti-state act[s]” and plotting “insurrection.”

Yoon said martial law was needed as “an inevitable step to ensure the freedom and safety of the people and the sustainability of the country, and to pass on a proper country to future generations from the unrestrained activities of anti-state forces aiming to overthrow the system.”

He added that he would “eradicate” and “crush” anti-state forces within the country.

“The declaration of martial law will cause some inconvenience to the good people who have believed in and followed the values of the Constitution of the free Republic of Korea, but I will focus on minimizing these inconveniences,” he concluded. “These measures are necessary for the perpetuation of a free Republic of Korea, and there is no change in our foreign policy stance of fulfilling our responsibilities and contributions in the international community.”

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday in an emergency national address as he accused the opposition of trying to paralyze the administration amid a deepening political rift https://t.co/pucghS8PDm pic.twitter.com/H2GxsRKYbG

— Bloomberg (@business) December 3, 2024