"Protection from North Korea"

South Korea’s president declares martial law

South Korean soldiers attempt to enter the grounds of the National Assembly in Seoul.

(Bild: AP)

South Korea's president declared martial law on Tuesday in order to protect himself from the "threats posed by North Korea's communist troops". In the meantime, the parliament in Seoul has also been sealed off.

Helicopters could be seen on television landing on the roof of the parliament building in Seoul, while police buses blocked access.

Work of parliament and political parties banned
The Yonhap news agency reported, citing the army, that the work of parliament and political parties had been banned. Media and publishing houses were placed under the control of the martial law command.

"In order to protect a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea's communist troops, I hereby declare martial law," Yoon had previously said in a live televised speech on Tuesday.

The parliament has become a refuge for criminals, a haven for a legislative dictatorship that wants to paralyze the judicial and administrative system and overthrow our liberal democratic order.

Südkoreas Präsident Yoon Suk-yeol

Government work is paralyzed due to opposition violations, Yoon continued. Martial law should be used to remove pro-North Korean elements and restore a free and democratic country.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol

(Bild: APA/AFP/Anthony WALLACE)

Yoon did not say in the speech what specific measures would be taken. He also did not mention any specific threats from the North. Disruptions to public life should be kept to a minimum. However, anyone who violated martial law could be arrested without a warrant.

(Bild: AFP)

(Bild: AFP)

(Bild: AFP)

(Bild: AP)

(Bild: AFP or licensors)

Budget disputes with the opposition
Yoon took the measure amid a dispute between his party and the main opposition Democratic Party over next year's budget bill. The opposition MPs, who hold the majority in parliament, had only approved a significantly slimmed-down version of the budget bill in the relevant parliamentary committee last week.

President wants to eliminate "pro-North Korean forces"
Martial law would be used to "eliminate these clearly pro-North Korean forces". A "free and democratic country" should be re-established as quickly as possible. The conservative head of state promised that the martial law now declared would only have a minimal impact on the everyday lives of South Koreans. 

Opposition: "Violation of the constitution"
The opposition criticized the move as a violation of the constitution. The country will be ruled by tanks and soldiers in future, said the chairman of the Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung. His party has the majority in parliament. This week, it had requested that some of the country's highest-ranking public prosecutors be removed from office. It also called for the government's draft budget to be rejected. The draft would have to be cut by more than four trillion won (2.65 billion euros). Yoon explained that this would undermine the basic functioning of the government.

Criticism also came from Yoon's government itself. According to local media reports, the chairman of the ruling party, Han Dong-hoon, described martial law as "wrong". They would "stop it together with the people", said Han. Yoon has been under domestic political pressure for months. Most recently, an alleged corruption scandal involving his wife has further depressed his popularity ratings.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have also been rising for months. North Korea has significantly increased its missile tests over the past two years and stepped up its rhetoric against the USA and South Korea. According to the South Korean secret service and the US Department of Defense, North Korea has also sent several thousand soldiers to Russia, where they are presumably being prepared for deployment against Ukraine.

South Korea has technically remained in a state of war with North Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953, as the conflict ended with an armistice and not a peace treaty. The two countries are separated by a demilitarized zone about four kilometers wide. Relations between the two countries are currently at a low point.