Timeline of South Korea’s martial law declaration; quick overturn by President Yoon Suk Yeol Premium

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol briefly imposed martial law, facing backlash and impeachment amid political turmoil.

For a brief duration on late Tuesday night (December 3, 2024), South Korea, a country with a history of military rule, had fleeting visions of its past as President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared on television and imposed an emergency marital law. This would have curbed the activities of political parties, brought the media under the ambit of the law, and required protesting workers to resume duties.

Yeilding to pressure, even from members of his People’s Power Party, Mr. Yoon repealed the law within six hours as lawmakers braved Army troops to vote 190-0 against it at the 300-member strong Parliament. He now faces an impeachment motion.

South Korea’s constitution states that martial law can be imposed to “cope with a military necessity or to maintain the public safety and order by mobilization of the military forces in time of war, armed conflict, or similar national emergency.” The law can be repealed if overturned by a majority in the National Assembly.

Between the end of the Second World War and South Korea’s transition to democracy in 1987, martial law was imposed 16 times. It was last imposed in 1987, when military leader Park Chung-hee was assassinated the year before. 

At the time of Mr. Yoon’s ascension to the President’s chair in 2002 (with a razor-thin majority of 0.8 percentage points), the National Assembly was already dominated by the Opposition Democratic Party.

A victory for them in this year’s April parliamentary elections landed Mr. Yoon in a precarious position, as it made him the first South Korean leader in decades without a majority in the National Assembly. This led to constant bickering, with the President vetoing bills and accusing the Opposition of filing 22 impeachment motions against his administration officials.

Coupled with the latest argument over a Budget Bill, the standoff culminated in Mr. Yoon declaring martial law to stop “shameless pro-North anti-state forces that plunder the freedom and happiness of our people”, and even terming the National Assembly a “monster that destroys the liberal democratic system”.