South Korean President withdraws martial law order just hours after implementation amid strong parliamentary opposition

Within six hours of announcing a martial law in the country, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec 4 said he will withdraw it following vehement opposition by the Members of Parliament and protests across the country.

The move comes after the MPs voted unanimously against the imposition of martial law at a midnight session of the National Assembly (Parliament) to denounce the President's decision.

In a 4:30 am (local time) special address to the nation, President Yoon said, "Just a moment ago, there was a demand from the National Assembly to lift the state of emergency, and we have withdrawn the military that was deployed for martial law operations. We will accept the National Assembly's request and lift the martial law through the Cabinet meeting."

The President then agreed to honor the vote, as did the army chief. Shortly after the President withdrew the order and addressed the nation, the South Korean cabinet convened for a 5 am (local time) meeting to approve a motion to officially lift what turned out to be one of the shortest-ever martial laws in history.

As events unfolded during the intervening night of Dec 3 and 4 in Korea, President Yoon's decision for a national emergency and martial law was vehemently opposed by parliamentarians who rejected the decision to ban political activity and censor the media.

Seeking to justify his move, Yoon had said that the decision was taken to crush anti-state forces. This was the first time in nearly five decades that South Korea had imposed a martial law - the last one being in 1980.

Politicians and protesters had assembled outside the National Assembly shouting slogans in defiance of the martial law that was in place at the time. Security forces had to fire tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.

The country's currency also went on a downward spiral. However, the situation improved after President Yoon agreed to the vote in Parliament and said he will announce the withdrawal shortly.

Earlier Yoon also attacked the main opposition Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the 300-member parliament, accusing it of paralyzing governance solely for the "sake of impeachments, special investigations, and shielding their leader from justice.

The Democratic Party demanded that 63-year-old Yoon, who was elected president in 2022 - step down immediately over the attempted insurrection. The party also said it would initiate impeachment proceedings against him unless he resigned immediately.

Notably, South Korea is one of the major economies of Asia and is a key ally of the United States. It has also been a democracy for more than four decades. The move to enforce a martial law had therefore caused international alarm.

Though South Korea is under a constant threat from its northern nuclear-armed neighbor North Korea, Yoon did not suggest any specific threat from Kim Jong-Un that could have led to this sudden decision.

Yoon has been under pressure in domestic politics after his party - the People Power Party - suffered a massive defeat in the general election held in April this year.

The result left the opposition with more than two-thirds majority in Parliament. President Yoon has also been rather unpopular in recent times, with his national rating falling to just around 20%.

Indefinite strike

South Korea's main labor union group also called an "indefinite general strike" until he resigned over the "irrational and anti-democratic measure".

Yoon's People Power Party, which suffered a landslide defeat at a parliamentary election in April this year, giving control of the unicameral assembly to opposition parties that captured nearly two-thirds of the seats, called his attempt "tragic" and demanded that those involved be held accountable.

The United States, which stations nearly 30,000 troops in South Korea to protect it from the nuclear-armed North, initially said it was watching events with "grave concern" and then said that it was relieved that President Yoon has reversed his "concerning" declaration of martial law.

China, a key ally of North Korea, urged its citizens to exercise caution. Russia, which is also close to Pyongyang, called the situation "alarming".

The imposition of martial law came after Yoon's approval rating dropped recently, with many expressing dissatisfaction over his handling of the economy and controversies involving his wife, Kim Keon Hee.