SEOUL, Dec 4 (BusinessTweet) – South Korean lawmakers on Wednesday called on President Yoon Suk Yeol to resign or face impeachment after he declared martial law only to reverse the move hours later, triggering a political crisis in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.
The surprise declaration late on Tuesday ignited a standoff with parliament which rejected his attempt to ban political activity and censor the media, as armed troops forced their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul.
The main opposition Democratic Party called for Yoon, who has been in office since 2022, to resign or face impeachment.
“It was clearly revealed to the entire nation that President Yoon could no longer run the country normally. He should step down,” senior DP member of parliament Park Chan-dae said in a statement.
Six South Korean opposition parties said they would submit Yoon’s impeachment bill on Wednesday, the Democratic Party said in a message to reporters, with voting to take place on Friday or Saturday.
The leader of Yoon’s ruling People Power Party called for Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun to be fired and the entire cabinet to resign.
Martial Law Needed to Defend the Country
Yoon told the nation in a TV address late on Tuesday that martial law was needed to defend the country from nuclear-armed North Korea and pro-North anti-state forces, and protect its free constitutional order, although he cited no specific threats.
Chaotic scenes ensued as troops tried to seize control of the parliament building, parliamentary aides sprayed fire extinguishers to push them back, and protesters scuffled with police outside.
The military said activities by parliament and political parties would be banned, and that media and publishers would be under the control of the martial law command.
But lawmakers defied the security cordon and within hours of the declaration, South Korea’s parliament, with 190 of its 300 members present, unanimously passed a motion requiring martial law be lifted, including all 18 members present from Yoon’s party. The president then rescinded the declaration.
Protesters outside the National Assembly shouted and clapped. “We won!” they chanted, and one demonstrator banged on a drum.
“There are opinions that it was too much to go to emergency martial law, and that we did not follow the procedures for emergency martial law, but it was done strictly within the constitutional framework,” a South Korean presidential official told Reuters by phone.
More protests are expected on Wednesday with South Korea’s largest union coalition, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, planning to hold a rally in Seoul and vowing to strike until Yoon resigns.
The U.S. embassy urged U.S. citizens in South Korea to avoid areas where protests were taking place, while some major employers including Naver Corp and LG Electronics Inc advised employees to work from home.
South Korean Stocks Falling Down
Financial markets were volatile with South Korean stocks falling around 2% and the won steadying after plunging to a two-year low. Dealers reported suspected intervention by South Korean authorities to stem the won’s slide.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong held emergency meetings overnight and the finance ministry promised to prop up markets if needed.
“We will inject unlimited liquidity into stocks, bonds, short-term money market as well as forex market for the time being until they are fully normalised,” the government said in a statement.