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- The tragedy of the situation: what caused the political crisis in South Korea to erupt abruptly
The tragedy of the situation: what caused the political crisis in South Korea to erupt abruptly
The South Korean government has voted to lift martial law, which the country's president imposed on December 3. The parliament before that also did not support the decision of Yun Seok-yol to establish such a legal regime in the republic. The head of state declared it because of the "attempted coup d'état" and alleged links of the opposition with the DPRK. But 190 parliamentarians voted against such a move. Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung declared Yoon Seok-yol illegitimate. The media are spreading information about the impending arrest of the president and the announcement of impeachment. It is reported that the military left the parliament, near which a significant number of protesters have concentrated. What are the sudden actions of the head of the Republic of Korea and how events may further unfold - in the material "Izvestia".
Martial law in South Korea
On the evening of December 3, the political situation in South Korea sharply escalated. President Yun Seok-yol declared martial law. The command said its imposition was due to the need to combat anti-state forces.
"The following provisions are imposed throughout the Republic of Korea from 23:00 (17:00 Moscow time) on December 3, 2024 to protect liberal democracy from the threat of regime change in the Republic of Korea by anti-state forces conducting secret agitation inside the free Republic of Korea," reads Decree No. 1, which was signed by Republic of Korea Army General Park Ahn-soo.
Immediately after the introduction of martial law, a great deal of military equipment appeared on the streets of the capital. Social networks have footage of special forces entering the parliament building through the windows. However, the security forces did not prevent MPs from voting in the end. Although it was reported that the work of parliament and political parties was suspended due to martial law. The executive authorities also took all mass media under control.
South Korean President Yun Seok-yol delivers a speech on the imposition of martial law in the country
Still, 190 deputies out of 300 voted in favor of its repeal. Parliament Speaker Woo Won-sik expressed disagreement with the decision made by the head of state, and opposition leader Lee Jae-myung declared the president illegitimate and called on citizens to come out to protests to the building of legislators.
By the way, it is Lee Jae Myung who heads the Democratic Party, which has a majority in the South Korean parliament. According to him, unconstitutional martial law should not be observed in principle. According to Article 77 of the country's Basic Law, it can indeed be considered illegitimate, as it is permissible to impose it under the following conditions: a threat to domestic security due to large-scale unrest that the government cannot suppress by conventional methods; the country has been attacked or there is an imminent threat of war; in the case of terrorist acts, sabotage and natural disasters that threaten national security or public order. Moreover, it must be approved by the national assembly, i.e. the parliament.
Army officials, who eventually did leave the National Assembly building, said martial law remains in effect until the president officially lifts it. Yun Seok-yeol had already announced overnight that he would lift martial law at a government meeting. Meanwhile, the media is spreading information about the imminent arrest and impeachment of the head of state. Cho Guk, head of the opposition Revive Korea Party, said that the South Korean president's disobedience to the parliament's decision to lift martial law would be considered a crime.
- This is an escalation of the internal political struggle in South Korea. President Yoon has a shaky position, very low approval ratings, and there have long been petitions across the country calling for his resignation. Even his party does not support Yeol, in any case, its chairman "Power of the People" Han Dong-hoon called today's decision to impose martial law a mistake," Alexander Vorontsov, head of the Korea and Mongolia Department at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.
The expert added that the parliamentary majority is on the side of the opposition parties and they are investigating corruption cases related to Yeol and his family members, among others.
- All this leads to the threat of impeachment, and the president felt it and decided to take such an extreme step," said Alexander Vorontsov.
Against the background of the political crisis, a huge number of citizens gathered in front of the parliament to protest against the president's initiative. People began arriving at the National Assembly immediately after the head of state established martial law, Seoul resident Vyacheslav told Izvestia.
- Everyone is already going to the parliament, shouting to lift this martial law. This decision is unconstitutional and illegal. He took it to save his own skin, and he faces impeachment. I realized even this morning that something wrong is expected. Apparently, the opposition wanted to vote for impeachment today, but the president was ahead of them," Vyacheslav said.
Nevertheless, not all parts of the capital witnessed unrest.
- Everything is calm so far. Most people here are not interested in the news. People sit, drink, have a snack, there is no panic, everything is normal. In Korea, these things happen in a gentle and civilized way. Quite a law-abiding country that does not allow serious disturbances," Svetlana, a Russian woman who is now in Seoul, told Izvestia.
The Kremlin calls the situation in South Korea alarming and is closely monitoring it, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the events.
The Russian Embassy in the Republic of Korea, by the way, immediately responded to the incident and urged Russians in the country to remain calm and refrain from participating in mass events of political orientation.
How the political crisis in South Korea is connected with the DPRK
The martial law command in South Korea was disbanded in the morning, the military personnel involved in enforcing the regime returned to their places of permanent deployment, Renhap news agency reported. The South Korean president said the martial law was due to the coup attempt, the planned impeachment and pro-North Korean sentiment among some of the opposition.
- I declare martial law emergency to protect the Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to crush the unprincipled anti-state forces of the DPRK stealing the freedom and happiness of our people, and to preserve the free constitutional order," Yun Seok-yol said in a video message.
According to the local publication Renhap, the South Korean president held an emergency meeting at night, after which he announced the threat of power paralysis due to attempts to conduct impeachment proceedings against him. However, it is not clear what the president meant by pro-North Korean sentiment. It is also noteworthy that the South Korean incumbent opposition has not been seen promoting North Korean narratives, so some experts do not see the foreign policy factor as the main trigger for such a decision by the head of state.
- The military coup that has begun in South Korea is caused solely by internal, not external factors, as the president himself and his entourage try to present it. Russia and China, as we know, are not going to attack South Korea, and we have a defense treaty with North Korea, not an offensive one. The arguments that the president of this country is now using in his justification are a literal repetition of the same justifications for the same decisions that South Korea's military dictators have been making for decades: the threat of the North, the communist threat, and so on," Alexander Zhebin, a leading researcher at the Center for Korean Studies of IKSA RAS, tells Izvestia.
In his opinion, Yun Seok-yol's policy does not meet the interests of either the state or the population. In terms of foreign policy, Seoul is entirely dependent on the U.S. and does whatever Washington wants it to do.
- Such a slide into the American camp will have a very negative impact on South Korea, but the main reason is that the president, who won the election with the smallest majority in the country's history, does not know how to work with other political forces, does not take into account their interests, is unable to find compromises, hence more than 20 votes in parliament to impeach various officials he appointed," the specialist said.
In South Korea, the number of citizens in favor of impeaching Yoon Seok-yeol has been growing over the past few days. In July, for example, the media wrote that more than 800,000 South Koreans signed an online petition calling on members of parliament to introduce a bill to remove the president for his "unfit for office." The head of state was accused of corruption, inciting the threat of war with North Korea. In addition, he was charged with creating a risk to the health of the nation due to the fact that he did not stop Japan in the release of treated radioactive water from the destroyed nuclear power plant "Fukushima-1". Recall that the wife of the President is involved in various corruption scandals: we are talking, in particular, about expensive gifts that she allegedly received from various figures. The personal rating of the President fluctuates around 20%. Confused by all the contradictions, Yun apparently decided to go for broke, notes Alexander Zhebin.
It is worth noting that tension on the Korean Peninsula has intensified just after the current head of state came to power in 2022. Pyongyang significantly increased the number of missile launches and tests of the latest weapons, while Seoul increased the number of joint exercises with the United States and its allies. As a result, South Korea first partially and then fully suspended a bilateral agreement that the North and South had reached back in 2018 to reduce tensions along the border. In response, Pyongyang said it no longer considered itself bound by the provisions of a "mere piece of paper" and sent artillery and reinforcements to the demarcation line.
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