South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol Declares Martial Law Live On TV

President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea declared emergency martial law during a late-night televised address on Tuesday. 

The President said during the address that he was halting “all political activities” and would use the time to eradicate “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces” in his country. 

“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 plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order,” Yoon said on Tuesday. 

The order immediately bans demonstrations and “all political activities, including those of the National Assembly, local councils, political parties,” the FT reported. The president also assumed command of the country’s news media under the order. 

Yesterday’s order was the first declaration of martial law in South Korea since 1987. On Wednesday morning local time, however, South Korea’s national assembly voted to block the President’s order. 

“There is no reason to declare martial law. We cannot let the military rule this country,” Lee Jae-myung, Korea’s opposition leader said in a statement. “President Yoon Seok Yeol has betrayed the people. President Yoon’s illegal declaration of emergency martial law is null and void.”

Han Dong-hoon, the head of Yoon’s own political party the People Power Party, has also criticized the martial law order. In a statement on Facebook, he said: “The president’s martial law declaration is wrong. We will stop it along with the people,” according to local media reports. 

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the National Assembly building in Seoul, South Korea’s capital, on Tuesday night chanting “abolish martial law” and “oppose martial law,” according to The Guardian. 

Videos from Korean state television showing protestors and local police clashing outside the National Assembly building have been shared widely across social media platforms. The country’s parliament is currently at a standstill. It’s unclear what may happen next. A White House spokesperson has said the U.S. government is monitoring the situation closely and is in contact with the South Korean government.