Martial law in South Korea lasting a few hours – President Yoon Suk-yeol's fiasco after the parliament deadlock
A near-coup in South Korea as President Yoon Suk-yeol was forced to lift martial law after being blocked by parliament.
In his speech, President Yoon Suk-yeol said he would lift martial law as South Korea's parliament voted to repeal it and military forces were withdrawn. A little later, the cabinet met and officially decided to remove him.
Specifically, the parliament, with 190 of the 300 deputies present, approved a resolution calling for the lifting of martial law imposed by President Yoon Suk-yeol. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik called the declaration of martial law "null and void."
However, people remain outside the country's parliament building, while the president's speech and earlier the parliament's decision to block martial law were greeted with celebrations and applause.
Characteristic of Yoon Suk Yeol's fiasco is the fact that even his own party joined the opposition and asked him to lift martial law immediately.
Martial law led to fiasco
It all started when the country's president suddenly declared martial law, with a nighttime, unexpected speech while explaining that his decision was aimed at "protecting" the country from "North Korean communist forces and exterminating elements hostile to the state".
The president's target was the Opposition and mainly the Democratic Party which has the majority in the National Assembly. And this is because in the last few months the opposition has managed to proceed with several procedures to remove members of the government as well as the president himself, whom it accuses of corruption.
Even in recent days, he has organized mass protests and called for a special prosecutor to be appointed to investigate a stock market manipulation case that may implicate the country's First Lady, Kim Geun-hye.
The people reacted and immediately gathered outside the parliament where tension between the demonstrators and the army followed, but without deviations.
“Open the door, please. Your job is to protect the National Assembly. Why are you sitting idly by while MPs are being trampled on?" shouted a man to a group of policemen guarding the gates of the building, which had been sealed off.
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