South Korea's parliament votes to block martial law | BBC News

Lawmakers in South Korea have voted to block the president's move to declare martial law, after both the ruling party and opposition vowed to obstruct the declaration.

The resolution requesting the lifting of martial law was passed with 190 of 300 members in attendance, with all present in favour.

President Yoon Suk Yeol had declared emergency martial law in the country in a surprise late night television address, calling it necessary to protect the country from North Korea's communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements.

Large crowds have been clashing with police outside the South Korean National Assembly since the unexpected announcement.

Martial law means rule by military authorities in a time of emergency, and can mean the suspension of normal civil rights.



#SouthKorea #BBCNews

[benjeong]

As a Korean, sharing some context:

President Yoon, a former prosecutor general, leveraged his control over the prosecution in an attempt to politically eliminate the opposition party leader, who commands a two-thirds majority in Congress. However, his efforts failed, leaving him increasingly isolated. In a last-ditch attempt to retain power, he resorted to declaring martial law.

This drastic measure also aimed to deflect attention from mounting corruption scandals involving himself, his family, and his inner circle. Allegations include the First Lady’s bribery (luxury handbags and etc), stock manipulation, land speculation, the suppression of investigations into drug smuggling and more.

[gumby]

What the hell is going on…. declare martial law over a budget disagreement…?? Something far worse is not being said

[micromys_minutus]

역설적으로 민주주의와 3권 분립이 잘 작동한 사례라고 생각합니다.

통수권자 개인의 폭주를 막아 세울 수 있었던 민주주의 시스템의 승리라고 봐도 될 것 같아요.

[InsanerOnSSJ]

I am a Myanmar citizen and hearing this news surprised me with sorrow cuz I know how it feels like to be under dictatorship from a democratic country all of a sudden whether this is for the sake of country‘s security or not. Of course I know it can’t be compared. No coup can be worse than Myanmar ever. Wish all the best for Korean and Myanmar citizens there who have suffered Myanmar coup and now encountering this situation in Korea.

[Sajawang]

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law at 10:25 PM on December 3, only for the National Assembly to unanimously pass a resolution demanding its revocation 2 hours and 35 minutes later, at 1:00 AM on December 4.

The resolution was passed with all 190 members present voting in favor during an extraordinary session of the National Assembly. Following the vote, the Speaker’s Office stated, “The declaration of martial law is nullified as a result of the resolution to revoke it.”

The President’s Office has not yet issued an official response regarding the resolution.


According to Article 77, Clause 5 of the South Korean Constitution, the content is as follows: Article 77 (Martial Law), Clause 5:
“When martial law is declared, the President must report it to the National Assembly without delay, and if the National Assembly demands the lifting of martial law, the President must comply.”

This clause regulates the authority of the President and the role of the National Assembly concerning the declaration of martial law. It is designed to prevent the abuse of martial law and ensure democratic governance.

[kamilp]

Not gonna lie - a presidential coup in South Korea was certainly NOT what I expected to encounter today

[KodyWayne-ku]

South Korea president: you're subverting democracy!
South Korea Parliament: no, you're subverting democracy!

[blairbrown]

Well, this literally escalated quite quickly.

[CALVIN]

Wow. It took the parliament less than 3 hours to solve the problem without any disagreement. South Koreans do know what democracy is.

[riskest]

The most bizarre thing for me is that Yoon served as a prosecutor for a long time. But what he did yesterday seemed to be from a man who knows nothing about the law. I am not talking about whether the purpose was constitutionally right. He basically ignored all legally required procedures. 😂😂😂 What a comedy

[hkk]

Sorry for the inconvenience. 😂 Our president forgot to take medicine. Live from South Korea 😂

[Onigiri_Onanigiri]

190 of member of parliament slipping through the barricades and cast a vote to block law. I can say South Korea is one of the most democratic country in Asia.
I hope S.Korean people can spend calm night and everything get better when the night over.
Love and Respect 🇰🇷 from 🇯🇵

[kothantzinaung]

I'm from myanmar my country also martial law i know the same feeling dont give up just fight

[crimsiden]

The fact that Parliament resolved this issue in just two hours highlights that South Korea remains a democracy where the people hold true power, rather than being subservient to the executive branch. If a similar situation occurred in the U.S., it’s almost certain that partisan politics would dominate, with Republicans or Democrats (depending on which party controls the presidency) bending over backward to protect the president's interests

[Serenity]

I have no idea about the politics of S. Korea so correct me if I'm wrong but it sounds like the president didn't like that he wasn't getting support and he was dumb enough to think since he is president he thought he can declare martial law to have some semblance of power he thought has but the national assembly was like, "Um. No. That is not how this works. Denied."

[gunsoocha]

대한민국의 민주주의는
한낱 범죄자 대통령이 무너뜨릴수 있는것이 아니다.

[ChiaLien_s]

What a joke! Declaring martial law just to silence dissenters? I guess he’s planning to leave the presidency early. What was he thinking would work out?🙂‍↔️

[gregoryallen]

He thought he’d sleep better if nobody else did

[Triple-db]

I’m Korean. The Yoon Seok-yeol administration clearly moved to use the military to take control of the National Assembly. But fortunately, military generals and soldiers let lawmakers in and even broke windows, perhaps because they didn't think this was the case. This failure led to the lifting of martial law, but if they hadn't disobeyed the order, they might have gone back to the 1970s.

[cracovianlim]

Yoon lost a drinking game, so he issued the martial law as a penalty.