the president proclaims martial law

Yoon Suk Yeol’s speech, Tuesday December 3, 2024. JUNG YEON-JE / AFP South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday December 3, affirming that this measure was necessary to protect the country “North Korean communist forces”. “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,” said Yoon Suk Yeol, in power since his election in March 2022. “Without caring about the people’s livelihood, the opposition party paralyzed the government, for the purposes of impeachment, special investigations and to protect its leader from legal proceedings,” launched the president. However, he did not cite a specific threat from nuclear-armed North Korea, instead focusing on its domestic political adversaries. The military, cited by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, later announced some of the measures put in place under martial law, including a ban on the activities of Parliament and political parties. The media and publishers come under the control of the command responsible for the application of martial law. Videos posted on social media showed army helicopters flying over the building. Deadlocked budget discussions Police officers deployed in front of parliament in Seoul on December 3, 2024. JUNG YEON-JE / AFP This surprise intervention comes as Mr. Yoon’s People’s Power Party (PPP) continues to battle with the main opposition party, the Democratic Party, on next year’s proposed budget. Opposition MPs approved a significantly reduced budget program last week through a committee. He also cited a motion presented this week by the Democratic Party, the majority opposition party in Parliament, aimed at dismissing some of the country’s top prosecutors. He did not specify in his speech what specific measures would be put in place. This decision aroused immediate opposition from political leaders, notably that of Han Dong-hoon, head of the PPP from which the president came, who described the decision as “bad” and promised to “put an end to this with the people “. Lee Jae-myung, head of the opposition Democratic Party, called Yoon’s announcement “illegal and unconstitutional.” “Tanks, armored personnel carriers and soldiers armed with guns and knives will rule the country,” he denounced in a speech broadcast online. “The economy of the Republic of Korea will collapse irreparably. My dear fellow citizens, come to the National Assembly,” he urged. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers In South Korea, democracy threatened by the populist excesses of Yoon Suk Yeol Read later Some 28,500 American soldiers are stationed in South Korea to protect it from the North. The White House said it was “monitoring the situation closely.” Le Monde with AP, AFP and Reuters Reuse this content



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