South Korea Martial Law Lifted After About Six Hours as Assembly Votes 190-0 to Demand Withdrawal
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law in Seoul on the evening of December 3, saying he acted to protect the constitutional order and eradicate what he called pro-North Korean "anti-state forces." The declaration set off one of South Korea's gravest political crises in decades and was lifted after about six hours.
According to the U.S. Congressional Research Service (CRS), Yoon declared martial law at about 10:25 p.m. and dispatched military and police forces to the National Assembly. Lawmakers managed to enter the Assembly building, and at 1:00 a.m. on December 4 the Assembly voted 190-0 to demand that the order be rescinded. Yoon complied shortly before 4:30 a.m. and lifted martial law.
During the roughly six hours martial law was in place, Biden administration officials expressed concern at the declaration and said they expected political disputes to be resolved peacefully and lawfully. After it was lifted, Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the move, saying the United States continued to expect political disagreements to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.
Opposition parties then moved to impeach Yoon. A first impeachment vote on December 7 narrowly failed; a second motion passed on December 14 with 204 votes, suspending Yoon from office, making Prime Minister Han Duk-soo acting president, and sending the case to South Korea's Constitutional Court. (Source: Congressional Research Service)
Source: Congressional Research Service
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：2024年12月4日上午，韩国国会议长禹元植在国会查看戒严军进入国会时被砸碎的玻璃。韩国国会官方照片，KOGL 第1类许可（标示出处、自由使用），经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik inspects glass shattered during the martial law troops' entry into the National Assembly, on the morning of December 4, 2024. Official photo by the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, KOGL Type 1, via Wikimedia Commons.
