South Korean President Imposes Emergency Martial Law Amid Political Tensions

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced the imposition of emergency martial law amid political tensions with opposition lawmakers. Yeol accused the opposition of crippling governance and sympathising with North Korea.

BBC reported that photos of tanks rolling in the streets have surfaced online in the nation, sparking fear and confusion. The announcement was made during a televised address. For the unversed, South Korea was under authoritarian rule from the 1960s till the 1980s. In 1987, a constitutional referendum established the Sixth Republic, which adopted a presidential system similar to that of the United States.

In his address to the nation, Yeol said, "To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea's communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements... I at this moment declare emergency martial law."

What Led to the Escalation?

The imposition of martial law is being seen as a serious escalation amid the battle between Yeol and the opposition. As per reports, the two sides were fighting over next year's budget in the country.

The president accused the opposition of holding the parliamentary process hostage which forced him to take this step. "Our National Assembly has become a haven for criminals, a den of legislative dictatorship that seeks to paralyze the judicial and administrative systems and overturn our liberal democratic order," he said during the address to the nation.

Notably, the opposition Democratic holds the majority in the parliament which recently passed a downsized budget proposal. This led to tensions with President Yeol who has now imposed martial law.

The entire details of how the law will be implemented remain unclear.

It is not clear whether the president consulted his own party before making the decision. As per Korean news agency Yonhap, the ruling party's chief has opposed the declaration and said that it will be blocked using public support.

Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party, who was the president before Yeol, said in a post, "I hope that the National Assembly will act quickly to protect our democracy from crumbling. I ask the people to join forces to protect and save democracy and to help the National Assembly function normally."

The declaration is a serious escalation in the Korean peninsula which was divided into North and South in the 1950s. While North Korea has always been under a communist dictatorship, South Korea has seen successive democratic regimes.

Reports of clashes between police and protesters have already started surfacing. Notably, 28,500 US troops are reportedly stationed in the country to protect against North Korea.