Yoon Suk Yeol‚ South Koreas president made a surprising late-night declaration of martial law on Dec 4th targeting what he called pro-North Korean forces but parliament quickly reversed his decision
The constitution gives presidents power to declare martial-law during military threats or public safety issues - however they must get parliamentʼs approval. The law-makers (surrounded by both police and protestors) voted to cancel the decree just hours after its announcement
South Korea has seen many martial-law periods since its start in the late 40s; most came during democratic protests or military take-overs:
- Park Chung-heeʼs military rise in early 60s
- Chun Doo-hwans control grab around 80s
- Several other cases linked to public unrest
Yoon who won by a tiny margin about a year-and-half ago hasnt been very popular with only 20% support. His party got crushed in elections last spring giving opposition parties most parliament seats; theyʼve been pushing hard against him especially about his wifes stock-trading issues
The martial-law command made strict rules: no political stuff allowed; media control; stopping protests. They even told trainee doctors (who quit their jobs cause they dont like health reforms) to get back to work. The presidential office got mad when opposition changed budget plans calling it “parliament tyranny“