South Korean president declares martial law

Yoon did not say what measures would be taken. He cited a motion by the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, to impeach top prosecutors and reject a government budget proposal.

CNN | South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in an unannounced late-night TV address, accusing the country’s main opposition party of sympathizing with North Korea and anti-state activities.

Yoon did not say what measures would be taken. He cited a motion by the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, to impeach top prosecutors and reject a government budget proposal.

“To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements… I hereby declare emergency martial law,” Yoon said in a live televised address to the nation.

In his late night TV broadcast, President Yoon Suk Yeol said he had no choice but to resort to martial law in order to safeguard free and constitutional order.

"I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces," Yoon said.

South Korea’s main opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung has condemned the move, calling it unconstitutional.

He has called on all lawmakers from his Democratic Party to converge on parliament to vote down the declaration, but latest reports from Seoul say police buses have been moved in to block the entrance to the parliament building.

The last time martial law was declared in South Korea was in 1979 after the assassination of then dictator Park Chung Hee.

Lawmakers have since voted to block the president's move, after both the ruling party and opposition vowed to obstruct the declaration.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik submitted a resolution requesting the lifting of martial law around 01:00 local time.

The resolution was passed with 190 of 300 members of the ruling and opposition parties in attendance, with all present in favour.

Protests have been taking place outside parliament, with the BBC's Jake Kwon hearing chants of “no to martial law” as police sirens ring out.

Yoon's People Power Party and the opposition Democratic Party have been locked in dispute over next year's budget bill.

Martial law means rule by military authorities in a time of emergency, and can mean the suspension of normal civil rights.

Hardliner Yoon

Yoon Suk Yeol, representing the conservative People Power Party, has been president since 2022.

He was elected by a razor-thin margin, pulling ahead of rival Lee Jae-myung – a member of the Democratic Party – by less than one percentage point.

Yoon was a newcomer to politics, having spent the previous 27 years of his career as a prosecutor.

Whereas his predecessor, Moon Jae-in, favoured dialogue with Pyongyang, Yoon took a tougher stance. He promised to bulk up South Korea’s military, even hinting he would launch a preemptive strike if he saw signs of an offensive launch against Seoul.

South Korea has been placed in the unenviable position of having strong ties with two feuding global superpowers: the US and China.

While Lee suggested he would try to balance both partnerships, Yoon made clear which he would prioritize.

“South Korea and the United States share an alliance forged in blood as we have fought together to protect freedom against the tyranny of communism,” Yoon said during his election campaign.

Since Donald Trump won election to his second term last month, South Korea’s presidential office told CNN that Yoon had began “practicing golf again for the first time in eight years, in preparation for ‘golf diplomacy’” with the president-elect.

Problems at home: Yoon inherited a country still wracked by the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as corruption polarized politics – and gender equality.

South Korea’s gender war intensified in the run-up to the election, with young voters increasingly split along gender lines.

Facing a hypercompetitive job market and skyrocketing housing prices, so-called “anti-feminists” claimed the country’s bid to address gender inequality had tipped too far in women’s favor.

Feminists, meanwhile, pointed to the country’s widespread sexual violence, entrenched gender expectations and low female representation in boardrooms and in politics as examples of how discrimination against women is still rife.