South Korean President Yoon Terminates Emergency Martial Law After National Assembly Objections
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Seoul, Dec 4 (NationPress) President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea announced the termination of emergency martial law in the early hours of Wednesday, after the National Assembly voted to demand its cessation amidst grave concerns voiced by the United States regarding the prolonged political turmoil.
His Cabinet sanctioned a motion to dissolve martial law enforcement at 4:30 a.m., approximately six hours post his unexpected emergency announcement, in which he accused the opposition parties of “paralysing” the government with “anti-state” actions — a declaration that raised alarms not just domestically but internationally, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that the soldiers who were mobilised to enforce martial law have returned to their bases, marking a return to normalcy.
“At 11 p.m. last night, I declared emergency martial law with my resolute intent to safeguard the nation against anti-state forces attempting to undermine the core functions of our constitutional order and free democracy,” he stated.
“However, following the National Assembly's demand for the termination of martial law, I have retracted the troops mobilised for these martial law operations,” he continued.
Yoon reiterated his appeals for the National Assembly to cease “outrageous” actions which he claims are obstructing national functions, including attempts to impeach government officials.
In the wake of the law's termination, opposition members intensified their criticism of Yoon, with some even threatening to propose an impeachment motion against the President.
Hwang Un-ha, the floor leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, expressed his intention to advocate for an impeachment motion, condemning the deployment of military personnel following the unusual martial law declaration.
The martial law announcement triggered shockwaves throughout the country and beyond. US officials have articulated “grave concern” and emphasized Washington's desire for any political conflicts in South Korea to be settled “peacefully.”
“We are observing the recent developments in South Korea with grave concern,” stated US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell during a public engagement.
He affirmed the strength of the South Korea-US alliance, describing it as “ironclad,” while advocating for a “peaceful” resolution.
“I also want to emphasize our hope and expectation that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and according to the rule of law; we will provide more updates as the situation unfolds,” he concluded.
