South Korean Parliament Votes to Lift Martial Law After Yoon’s Declaration

Hours after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, parliament voted to revoke the declaration. 

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik emphasised that lawmakers would “protect democracy with the people” and called for the immediate withdrawal of police and military forces from the Assembly’s premises. 

Yoon had initially imposed martial law, pledging to eliminate “anti-state” forces amid fierce opposition control of parliament, which he accuses of sympathising with North Korea.

In response to the declaration, the National Assembly speaker called on all lawmakers to convene at the Assembly building, urging military and police personnel to maintain calm. All 190 lawmakers who voted supported the repeal of martial law. Television footage showed soldiers withdrawing from the parliamentary grounds post-vote.

Earlier broadcasts displayed police blocking the Assembly entrance and helmeted soldiers armed with rifles guarding the building. 

Han Dong-hoon, leader of Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, criticised the martial law imposition as “wrong” and vowed to oppose it alongside the populace. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost the 2022 presidential election to Yoon, denounced the move as “illegal and unconstitutional.”

In a televised address, Yoon claimed that martial law would “rebuild and protect” the nation from “falling into the depths of national ruin,” vowing to “eradicate pro-North Korean forces” and uphold the constitutional democratic order. He urged the public to trust him and endure “some inconveniences” for the greater good.

Following Yoon’s proclamation, the South Korean military announced a suspension of parliament and other political gatherings deemed to cause “social confusion,” as reported by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

The military also ordered the nation’s striking doctors to resume work within 48 hours, threatening arrest without warrant for non-compliance. Thousands of doctors have been striking for months over government proposals to increase medical school admissions.

South Korean law allows martial law to be lifted by a parliamentary majority vote, a power held by the opposition Democratic Party.

Frances Ibiefo

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