South Korean people: I never thought I would see this day

Author: Yicai   Pan Yinru

"I didn't expect to see this day in South Korea." Late at night on December 3, many South Koreans told Yicai reporters through social media.

According to CCTV News, on the evening of December 3, local time, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol suddenly announced the implementation of "emergency martial law" in a live TV broadcast.

A large number of South Koreans gathered in front of the National Assembly to demand the withdrawal of the emergency martial law order (Photo source: CCTV News)

However, in the early morning of the 4th, due to the dominance of the opposition forces, the National Assembly overturned the presidential martial law order. The martial law troops were subsequently withdrawn. The situation that was once tense was resolved.

When asked about the emergency martial law order announced by South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol, US President Biden said that he had not yet received a comprehensive briefing on the matter and was learning about the relevant situation.

A spokesman for the White House National Security Council said in a statement that the South Korean president issued an emergency martial law order "without prior notice" to the Biden administration, and the White House did not receive a notification.

6 hours like a roller coaster

Late at night on the 3rd, Yoon Seok-yeol listed a number of reasons, saying that the opposition party was coercing the National Assembly and disrupting the country, and said that he would purge the "anti-national forces" in South Korea.

The martial law proclamation issued by the martial law commander showed that from 23:00 on the 3rd, all political activities were prohibited, and at the same time, it was stated that the daily lives of ordinary people would be guaranteed to the greatest extent.

At the same time, the Chinese Embassy in South Korea reminded Chinese citizens in South Korea to remain calm, pay attention to changes in South Korea's political situation, strengthen safety awareness, reduce unnecessary outings, express political opinions cautiously, and abide by the official decrees issued by South Korea.

After Yoon Seok-yeol made an emergency speech, the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, urgently summoned its members to the National Assembly to discuss how to respond to the emergency martial law issued by Yoon Seok-yeol. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, called on the people to go to the National Assembly, saying that "Yoon Seok-yeol's martial law order is unconstitutional and anti-national martial law."

In the early morning of the 4th, the South Korean National Assembly held an emergency meeting and voted on "requesting the lifting of the emergency martial law order." 190 lawmakers attended the meeting, 170 of whom voted in favor. South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik then declared the emergency martial law invalid.

‌The South Korean National Assembly has a total of 300 seats. In the 2024 South Korean parliamentary elections, the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, won 175 seats, a majority. The ruling People's Power Party won 108 seats.

Article 77, Paragraph 5 of the South Korean Constitution stipulates: "If the National Assembly requests the lifting of martial law with the approval of more than half of the registered members, the President shall lift martial law." Article 11 of the South Korean Martial Law stipulates: "When the National Assembly requests the lifting of martial law, the President shall immediately lift martial law."

Some South Koreans explained to the First Financial reporter that the president's unauthorized issuance of martial law without the approval of the National Assembly is itself unconstitutional.

According to CCTV News, at around 4:27 a.m. local time on the 4th, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol announced through a live broadcast in the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul that he had decided to accept the request of the National Assembly and lift the martial law. This was just over 6 hours after he announced the implementation of martial law at 22:25 on the 3rd.

Yun Seok-yeol's disapproval rate has exceeded 70% for several consecutive weeks

In the impression of Korean Kim Yun-jun, the last so-called "emergency martial law" dates back to 1980. "I don't think there is a reason to issue martial law now. Ordinary people, politicians, or the media, everyone feels inexplicable."

As of press time of the First Financial reporter, the South Korean Ministry of Education said that classes will resume on the 4th.

In Kim Yun-jun's view, Yoon Seok-yeol's current support rate continues to bottom out, and the opposition Democratic Party of Korea has frequently launched investigations against him and the "First Lady". "Maybe these factors have pushed him into a corner and made this crazy move in the eyes of the outside world."

The latest poll results released by the South Korean public opinion survey agency on November 29 showed that Yoon Seok-yeol's support rate was 19%, continuing to hover at a low level; the disapproval rate was 72%, which was above 70% for several consecutive weeks. Earlier this month, Yoon Seok-yeol's approval rating fell to 17%, the lowest since he took office.

The poll results show that Yoon Seok-yeol's poor performance in the economic and livelihood fields, his wife's involvement in scandals, and his poor performance in the diplomatic field are the main reasons for some respondents' negative comments.

Just a few days before the martial law order was issued, the struggle between the ruling party and the opposition party in South Korea's political arena once again heated up. On November 29, the South Korean National Assembly's Special Budget and Settlement Committee held a plenary meeting and voted to pass the budget cut bill in the absence of members of the ruling People's Power Party. It is the first time in South Korea's constitutional history that the opposition party has handled the budget bill alone. The budget bill passed on that day was 4.1 trillion won less than the 677.4 trillion won budget submitted by the government. The cuts were for special activity expenses of the Presidential Secretariat and the National Security Office, and specific work expenses and special activity expenses of the Procuratorate and the Supervisory Commission.

It is worth noting that even within Yoon Seok-yeol's ruling party, not all voices support his martial law order. Shortly after Yoon Seok-yeol announced "emergency martial law", Han Dong-hoon, a representative of South Korea's ruling party, said that "emergency martial law" was wrong and said that "we will work with the people to stop it."