South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on 3 December 2023 at 10:29 pm Korean Standard Time during a televised address. The Democratic Party and the People Power Party of Yoon opposed the declaration. Protests ensued. At approximately 01:00 am on December 4, despite attempts by law enforcement, lawmakers present in the National Assembly convened and passed a 190-0 unanimous resolution to lift martial law. Yoon called a cabinet meeting and formally lifted his declaration and disbanded the Martial Law Command at around 04:30 am. South Korea was in martial law for only about six hours.
Why Did President Yoon Suk Yeol Declare Martial Law in South Korea? How Did Other Politicians and the Public React? What was the Aftermath of the 2024 South Korean Martial Law?
Background: Growing Conflict Between Yoon Suk Yeol and the Opposition-Led National Assembly
Yoon Suk Yeol, a former prosecutor general and member of the right-wing People Power Party, assumed office as the 13th President of South Korea after winning the 2022 presidential election. He is widely recognized for holding far-right political views. Critics readily compared him to modern strongmen like President Donald Trump, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte due to his right-wing sentiments, which include libertarian leanings and social conservatism, and perceived divisive rule.
His administration has had low approval ratings. The lowest was at 17 percent. A public opinion survey released in November 2024 revealed that 58 percent of the population would want to see the president either resign or be impeached. Yoon also struggled to achieve his conservative agenda after his party lost the National Assembly during the mid-term 2024 South Korean Legislative Election. The opposing Democratic Party won 173 of the 300 legislative seats, while the People Power Party won 108. The newer opposing Rebuilding Korea Party won 12.
Yoon snubbed the opening of the National Assembly on 2 September 2024. The attendance of the sitting president and the delivery of a speech have been customary in South Korean politics. His albescence signified the growing tension between the president and the opposition-controlled legislative body. The president has actively opposed investigations into multiple scandals involving top government officials. He also vetoed three separate bills, including one on 26 November 2024, that sought a special counsel investigation into his wife Kim Kon-hee.
The National Assembly had been vocal about its criticism and opposition to Yoon. Opposition members asked Kim Yong-hyun whether he would declare martial law during his confirmation hearing for Minister of National Defense on September 3. Furthermore, as part of the budget approval process, the National Assembly rejected the budget proposal for 2025 of the administration and moved to impeach Board of Audit and Inspection Chair Choe Jae-hae and three prosecutors involved in two scandals related to Kim Kon-hee on December 2.
Declaration: Televised Declaration of an Emergency Martial Law and Subsequent Military Mobilization
Yoon gave an unannounced nationally televised address on 3 December 2024 at around 10 pm Korean Standard Time and declared an emergency martial law from the Yongsan presidential office in Seoul. He cited the need to protect the Republic of Korea from the threats of communist forces from North Korea, eradicate anti-state forces in the country that are allegedly aligned with North Korea and are promoting legislative dictatorship, and rebuild South Korea from falling into ruin as his main reasons. The South Korean president called this an inevitable measure.
The Ministry of National Defense soon announced that a meeting of key commanders from all branches of the South Korean military forces was held. Army Chief of Staff Park An-su issued Martial Law Command Proclamation No. 1 that prohibited all political activities. These included all forms of gatherings by political parties and the public and the operations of the National Assembly. Police vehicles were later seen barricading the front gate of the National Assembly. Dozens of armed soldiers also forced themselves inside the main building.
Note that the 2024 South Korean Martial Law under the Yoon administration was the first time the country was placed under martial law since the 1980 May Seventeenth Military Coup instigated by army general and usurper Chun Doo-hwan, who was a military dictator serving as the 5th South Korean President, after the assassination of 3rd South Korean President and dictator Park Chung-hee in December 1979 and the June Democratic Struggle in 1987. This was also the 17th declaration of martial law since the foundation of the Republic of Korea in 1948.
Article 77 of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea stipulates that the president has the power to declare martial law in response to war, armed conflicts, or other national emergencies. There are also two types of martial law. These are extraordinary martial law and precautionary martial law. The president is also obliged to notify the National Assembly without delay after the proclamation of martial law. Article 77 also stipulates that the National Assembly can request the lifting of the declaration via a majority vote and that the president must comply.
Response: Standoff Between the Military and the Public and Lawmakers and the Race Inside the National Assembly
Crowds began gathering outside the National Assembly where riot police were stationed to hold them back as martial law took effect at around 11:00 pm of December 3. Busloads of security forces arrived and military transport helicopters brought in more troops to control the swelling number of protesters. The public were waving signs and chanting slogans Some called the declaration invalid and others urged the resignation of Yoon. Lawmakers also began rushing into the National Assembly as soon as they learned of the martial law declaration.
Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung began a 23-minute livestream that documented his journey to the National Assembly. He appealed to the public to converge on the building to help lawmakers get inside. Time was of the essence. More lawmakers rushed in. They needed the number to cast a vote. Speaker Woo Won-shik was seen climbing over a fence. The tension between the deployed police and military forces and the public was escalating. Nevertheless, by around midnight, there were more than 150 lawmakers who were able to enter the building.
The National Assembly was able to convene and commence an emergency session at around 12:48 am of December 4 with 190 out of 300 lawmakers present. Both police and military forces were unable to enter the main session hall since the entrances were barricaded using furniture placed by parliament staff. Lawmakers introduced the motion to revoke the martial law. They were able to cast their vote by 1:02 am. It was a unanimous decision. All present lawmakers voted to lift martial law. Security forces were later seen leaving the National Assembly building.
Yoon aired his second national address at 4:20 am and said that the National Assembly had voted to end martial law. He soon ordered the withdrawal of the security forces he deployed. The president reiterated and maintained his accusations against the opposition. He also appealed to the National Assembly to end what he deemed as reckless actions to paralyze the functions of the state through legislative manipulation and budget commandeering. Martial law was officially lifted at 4:30 am following an emergency meeting of the Yoon administration cabinet.
Implications: Subsequent Events and Consequences of the 6-Hour 2024 South Korean Martial Law
The Democratic Party held an emergency meeting at the National Assembly following the lifting of the martial law. It declared its intention to commence impeachment proceedings if Yoon refused to resign. The resolution specifically noted that the declaration is a clear constitutional violation and a serious act of rebellion that provides a perfect reason for impeachment. Protests continued in the National Assembly and Gwanghwamun Square throughout December 4. There were also candlelight assemblies and other public protests held in cities across South Korea.
Even several members of the ruling People Power Party of Yoon expressed their contention against the decision to declare martial law. Party leader Han Dong-hoon earlier expressed his commitment to end it along with the people. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, a member of the People Power Party and a known ally of Yoon, also expressed his opposition. Republic Korea Party leader Cho Kuk noted that the event met the conditions for the impeachment. Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seon called for the expulsion of Yoon from the People Power Party.
Approximately 190 members of the National Assembly from across six opposition parties convened at around 2:00 pm of December 4 and submitted a motion for impeachment. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions called for an indefinite general strike until Yoon resigned. The president maintained that he would not resign and that his actions were undertaken to prevent the alleged reckless actions of the Democratic Party. The People Power Party ruled against impeaching Yoon on December 5 following an emergency meeting held the previous evening.
The series of events that unfolded during the six-hour 2024 South Korean Martial Law might also be considered an example of a constitutional crisis. The Economist explained that the legality of the vote made by the National Assembly is ambiguous because martial law effectively banned all forms of political activities. Political scientists Sidney Tarrow and Benjamin Engel labeled the declaration as an attempt at self-coup that marked an attempt of a legally positioned political leader to remain in power through either illegal means or legal maneuvering.
FURTHER READINGS AND REFERENCES
- National Public Radio. 2024. “South Korea’s President Faces Calls to Resign or Be Impeached.” National Public Radio. Available online
- Tarrow, S. 2024. “Cornell Expert Available on South Korea Imposing Martial Law.” Cornell University Media Relations Office. Available online
- The Economist. 2024. “Martial Law in South Korea—And Then Not. What Comes Next? The Economist. Available online
Photo credit: 2024 South Korean flags Against Martial Law/Hashflu/CC BY-SA 4.0