SEOUL, Dec 4 (NNN-YONHAP) – South Korea’s senior presidential staff, including the chief of staff and all the senior secretaries, offered to resign, after President Yoon Suk-yeol declared and lifted an emergency martial law, multiple media outlets said today, citing the presidential office.
Yoon declared the emergency martial law last night, marking the first martial law declaration since the country’s military dictatorship ended in the late 1980’s.
He noted that, it was an inevitable step to ensure people’s freedom, safety and national sustainability, from the anti-state forces seeking to overthrow the country, vowing to eliminate the anti-state forces and normalise the country as soon as possible.
Yoon criticised parliament for paralysing state affairs by attempting to impeach government officials, launch a special prosecutor’s team for investigation into scandals involving the first lady, and protect the opposition leader from legal risks.
Defence Minister, Kim Yong-hyun, who reportedly proposed the martial law declaration to Yoon, ordered a meeting of key commanders, urging the military to strengthen vigilance.
However, after the announcement, the main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, called for lawmakers to head towards the National Assembly to discuss countermeasures. Seoul’s citizens also rallied in front of the parliament building against the martial law order.
Despite the lockdown of the parliament building by martial law troops and police, the lawmakers managed to convene a meeting in the National Assembly, and passed a resolution to lift the martial law with 18 lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party and 172 lawmakers of opposition parties in attendance and voting in favour.
In accordance with the constitution, the president should lift martial law, when the 300-member parliament demands the lifting with a majority of lawmakers voting in favour.
National Assembly Speaker, Woo Won-shik said, the president should immediately lift the martial law order, according to the parliament’s resolution approval, noting that the martial law declaration became invalid.
Han Dong-hoon, leader of the People Power Party, expressed his great regret over the martial law declaration as a ruling party chair, saying, the unconstitutional, illegal declaration lost its effect after the parliamentary decision.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, said, the declaration was illegal and unconstitutional, as it failed to meet the requirements under the constitution and the martial law, urging the police and the military to return to their normal job as following the illegal, unconstitutional order of the president itself is illegal.
Early today, a motion to remove the martial law order was approved at an urgently convened cabinet meeting, according to multiple media outlets.
Before the cabinet meeting, Yoon said in a televised address that, martial law troops were withdrawn, as the National Assembly demanded the lifting of martial law, vowing to lift the martial law at a cabinet meeting, to accept the parliamentary demand.
He asked the National Assembly to stop paralysing state affairs by trying to impeach government officials, slash the government’s budget for next year and launch a special prosecutor’s team for investigation into scandals involving the first lady.
Woo confirmed that all martial law troops had left the parliamentary building.– NNN-YONHAP
