By Maria Somova, Year 12
On December 3rd 2024 South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law during a television address. In his speech, Yoon accused a democratic party DPK of conducting “anti-state activities” and collaborating with North Korean communists in an attempt to create a “legislative dictatorship”.
“Dear citizens, I declare emergency martial law to defend the free Republic of Korea from the threats of North Korean communist forces and to eradicate the shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people and to protect the free constitutional order.
Through this emergency martial law, I will rebuild and defend the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into ruin. To this end, I will surely eradicate the criminals of the anti-state forces who have been committing atrocities so far.”- President Yoon Suk Yeol 03/12/25 Seoul, South Korea.
What is martial law? In its essence, a martial law is a replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal and administrative processes for the military. It can continue indefinitely, or for a specified amount of time, and standard civil liberties are suspended for as long as the martial law continues. However, specifically in South Korea, the constitution gives the president the power to use the military in “wartime, war-like situations or other comparable national emergency states.” Moreover, it also includes “suspending civil rights such as freedom of the press and assembly and temporarily limiting the powers of the courts and government agencies.”
The constitution of South Korea also allows the National Assembly to lift the law with a majority vote, which took place three hours after the president Yoon’s speech. At 01:02 on 4th of December 190 legislature unanimously passed a motion to lift martial law, despite intensive attempts of Special Warfare Command to prevent the vote.
It is alleged, that independently to the declaration of martial law in the country, Yoon ordered the arrest of his various political opponents. Including the leaders of the DPK and his own People Power Party.
Following this event, the opposition began impeachment proceedings against Yoon until his resignation. The backlash over his declaration led to several South Korean officials in the prescient administration to resign, including Defence Minister Kim Yong-Hyun. This Wednesday Yoon became the first sitting president to be taken into custody in South Korea’s history after investigators carried out a dawn raid on his residence in Seoul. He is currently under the investigation for several offences among which is insurrection, which is punishable by life imprisonment or the death penalty.
The main reason for the current detention is the several court hearings missed by the president, as well as his refusal to cooperate. Yoon’s legal team, which has called his arrest illegal, said the president saw no reason to answer questions: “The president will not appear at the CIO today. He has sufficiently expressed his basic stance to the investigators on the first day,” Yoon’s lawyer, Seok Dong-Hyeon, told reporters.
According to the Washington Post there are two possible outcomes regrading whether president Yoon will be released from CIO – ”If the court rules in Yoon’s favour, he will resume his powers as president and can serve out his five-year term, which ends in March 2027. If the court rules against Yoon, he will be immediately removed from office and a presidential election will be held within two months.”
Sources:
Read President Yoon’s Speech Declaring Martial Law in South Korea – The New York Times
