South Korean soldiers leave the area around the National Assembly in Seoul, December 4, 2024. KIM HONG-JI / REUTERS South Korea experienced a crisis for a few hours, on the night of Tuesday December 3 to Wednesday December 4 unprecedented policy for more than forty years. For 6 hours, the country lived under the rhythm of martial law: in an unannounced televised speech late Tuesday evening, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced its promulgation, saying that this measure was necessary to protect the country. For a few hours, all political activities were banned and the media were placed under government surveillance. In the process, the army took up positions around Kuk Hoe, the unicameral Parliament of South Korea, in which nearly 200 parliamentarians were holed up. But the latter voted to block martial law, forcing the president to abandon his decision. A look back at how events unfolded. Martial law against “North Korean communist forces” Yoon Suk Yeol’s speech, Tuesday December 3, 2024. JUNG YEON-JE / AFP At 10:25 p.m. (in Seoul, 2:25 p.m. in Paris), Tuesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared on television. “I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are destroying the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect free constitutional order,” he declared, making use of article 77 of the Constitution. “Without concern for the livelihood of the people, the opposition party paralyzed the government, for the purposes of impeachment, special investigations and to protect its leader from legal prosecution,” continued the president in power since his election in March 2022. However, he did not cite a specific threat from nuclear-armed North Korea, instead focusing on his political adversaries domestically. Martial law was last declared on May 17, 1980, during the military coup of General Chun Doo-hwan. The next day, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Kwangju, a traditional center of protest, to protest against the coup. Mr. Chun wanted to fill the power vacuum after the assassination of dictator Park Chung-hee. The demonstrations were repressed in a bloodbath. Martial law was lifted in January 1981. It had not been introduced in South Korea since the democratization process initiated in the late 1980s, including during periods of high tensions, such as in 2016, when millions demonstrators obtained the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, amid a corruption scandal. Political activities prohibited, Parliament under seal Soldiers try to enter the National Assembly, in Seoul, Wednesday December 4, 2024. JUNG YEON-JE / AFP After the president’s decision, all political activities were banned and the media placed under government surveillance, as said Park An-su, the head of the army, in a statement cited by the Korean agency Yonhap. According to this press release, “any person violating martial law can be arrested without a warrant.” Le Monde Mémorable Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Test your general knowledge with the editorial staff of “Le Monde” Discover Helicopters landed on the roof of Parliament, according to live images broadcast by television channels, soldiers briefly entered the Assembly before emerging and leaving the premises, while hundreds of demonstrators flocked to Parliament. Parliament blocks martial law, the army refuses This decision aroused immediate opposition from political leaders, notably that of Han Dong-hoon, leader of the PPP from which the president comes, who described the decision as “bad” and promised to “end this with the people.” Lee Jae-myung, the head of the Democratic Party, called Yoon’s announcement “illegal and unconstitutional.” In the evening (Wednesday in Seoul), the National Assembly voted to ask President Yoon Suk Yeol to lift martial law. According to the Constitution, it must be lifted when a parliamentary majority requests it: of the 300 members of parliament, 190 were present and all voted in favor of a motion calling for the lifting of martial law: 18 elected officials from the Party of People’s Power (PPP) from which the president and 172 deputies of the Democratic Party come. Woo Won-shik, Speaker of the National Assembly, declared that President Yoon’s declaration of martial law had become “null and void.” On Wednesday, shortly after 4:40 a.m. (8:40 p.m. in Paris), President Yoon finally spoke on television, declaring: “There has been a request from the National Assembly to lift the state of emergency , and we proceeded with the withdrawal of the soldiers who had been deployed for martial law operations. We will grant the request of the National Assembly. » His government finally approved the lifting of martial law, ending several hours of confusion. In the background, deadlocked budget discussions The president’s surprise speech came as Mr. Yoon’s PPP continues to battle with the main opposition party, the Democratic Party, the majority in Parliament, over the project. next year’s budget. Opposition MPs approved a significantly reduced budget program last week through a committee. The president also discussed a motion introduced this week by the Democratic Party to remove some of the country’s top prosecutors. A situation under international scrutiny Information from Korea has been scrutinized by diplomats around the world. The US government “is in contact with the government of the Republic of Korea and is monitoring the situation closely,” a White House National Security Council spokesperson said in a statement. “We hope and expect that political differences will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law,” said Kurt Campbell, deputy US secretary of state. Seoul is a key ally of the United States in Asia, particularly in a context of increased rivalries with China: some 28,500 American soldiers are stationed in South Korea to protect it from the North. The UK is “monitoring the situation closely” a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, while the Foreign Office called on British nationals to “follow the advice of local authorities and avoid political protests” . In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in South Korea “advises Chinese nationals in South Korea to remain calm…increase their security vigilance, limit unnecessary outings, and exercise caution when expressing political opinions. “We are monitoring the situation very closely and with concern,” declared Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, noting that he could not make any further comments on a situation that was “evolving rapidly”. “The situation is alarming. We are following it closely,” Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, told the Interfax news agency. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers In South Korea, democracy threatened by the populist excesses of Yoon Suk Yeol Read later Le Monde with AP, AFP and Reuters Reuse this content
