South Korea’s President Yoon faces impeachment after martial law debacle

SEOUL - South Korean lawmakers on Dec 4 proposed impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol for his sudden decision

to declare martial law

, which he rescinded after a chaotic stand-off between Parliament and the army that damaged the country’s standing.

Mr Yoon’s declaration of martial law late on Dec 3 attempted to ban political activity and censor the media in South Korea, which is Asia’s fourth-largest economy and is a key US ally.

Washington had no advance notice of the decision, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Reuters, adding that he expected to speak with his South Korean counterpart in the coming days.

Armed troops had forced their way

into the National Assembly building in Seoul but stood back when parliamentary aides sprayed them with fire extinguishers.

Lawmakers rejected the martial law decision while protesters scuffled with police outside.

On Dec 4 evening, civic and labour groups held a candlelight vigil in downtown Seoul calling for Mr Yoon’s resignation – a reminder of the massive candlelight protests that led to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017.

They then marched to the presidential office.

Six South Korean opposition parties submitted a Bill in Parliament to impeach Mr Yoon, who had already faced accusations of heavy-handed leadership from his opponents and from within his own party, with voting set for Dec 5 or Dec 6.

A plenary session to formally introduce the Bill was scheduled to begin shortly after midnight (11pm Singapore time) on Dec 5.

“We couldn’t ignore the illegal martial law,” DP lawmaker Kim Yong-min told reporters. “We can no longer let democracy collapse.”

The leader of Mr Yoon’s ruling People Power Party called for Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun to be fired and the entire Cabinet to resign.

Mr Kim has offered to resign, the defence ministry said.

The crisis rattled global financial markets and left South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index.

KS11

was down 1.4 per cent,

taking its year-to-date losses to over 7 per cent and making it the worst performing major stock market in Asia in 2024.

The won was stable but close to a two-year low with dealers reporting suspected intervention by the South Korean authorities after overnight talks between Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong.

Mr Choi sent an emergency note to global financial chiefs and credit rating agencies late on Dec 4 which said the market was functioning as usual, and that the finance ministry was working to alleviate any adverse impact from political turmoil, the ministry said in a statement.

No specific threats

Mr Yoon told the nation in a TV address 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.

Within hours, South Korea’s Parliament, with 190 of its 300 members present, unanimously passed a motion requiring martial law be lifted, with 18 members of Mr Yoon’s party present.

The president

then rescinded the declaration,

around six hours after its proclamation.

Protesters outside the National Assembly Parliament shouted and clapped. “We won!” they chanted, and one demonstrator banged on a drum.

A South Korean presidential official said: “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.”

There has been no reaction yet from North Korea to the drama in the South.

Mr Yoon was embraced by leaders in the West as a partner in the US-led effort to unify democracies against growing authoritarianism in China, Russia and elsewhere.

But he caused unease among South Koreans by branding his critics as “communist totalitarian and anti-state forces” as his approval ratings slipped.

In November, he denied wrongdoing in response to influence-peddling allegations against him and his wife, and he has taken a hardline against labour unions.

Seoul appeared largely normal on Dec 4,

with the usual morning rush hour traffic in trains and on the streets.

But Hyundai Motor’s labour union announced plans to stage strikes on Dec 5 and Dec 6 and some major employers, including Naver Corp and LG Electronics Inc, advised employees to work from home.

Sales of canned goods, instant noodles and bottled water

had soared overnight,

said a major South Korean convenience store chain, which sought anonymity.

“I’m deeply disturbed by this kind of situation, and I’m very concerned about the future of the country,” 39-year-old resident Kim Byeong-in said.

The National Assembly can impeach the president if more than two-thirds of lawmakers vote for it. A trial by the constitutional court follows, which can confirm the motion with a vote by six of the nine justices.

Mr Yoon’s party has 108 seats in the 300-member legislature.

Dodged a bullet

If Mr Yoon resigned or was removed from office, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would fill in as leader until a new election was held within 60 days.

“South Korea as a nation dodged a bullet, but President Yoon may have shot himself in the foot,” Mr Danny Russel, vice-president of the Asia Society Policy Institute think-tank in the US, said of the first martial law declaration in South Korea since 1980.

Mr Blinken said he welcomed Mr Yoon’s decision to rescind the martial law declaration.

"We continue to expect political disagreements to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law," Mr Blinken said in a statement.

South Korea hosts around 28,500 American troops as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Planned defence talks and joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States were postponed amid the broader diplomatic fallout from the overnight turmoil.

South Korea’s political situation is an “internal matter” for the country, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters.

Sweden’s Prime Minister postponed a visit to South Korea, a spokesperson said, and Japan’s lawmaker group on Korean affairs cancelled a trip to Seoul slated for mid-December.

Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte said the alliance was monitoring the current situation in South Korea, but added that its relationship with Seoul “was ironclad”.

Russia said it was following the “tragic” events in South Korea with concern.

Mr Yoon, a career prosecutor,

squeezed out a victory

in the tightest presidential election in South Korean history in 2022, riding a wave of discontent over economic policy, scandals and gender wars.

But he has been unpopular, with his support ratings hovering at around 20 per cent for months.

His People Power Party

suffered a landslide defeat

at a parliamentary election in April 2024, ceding control of the unicameral assembly to opposition parties that captured nearly two-thirds of the seats.

There have been more than a dozen

instances of martial law being declared

since South Korea was established as a republic in 1948.

In 1980, a group of military officers forced then President Choi Kyu-hah to proclaim martial law to crush calls for the restoration of democratic government. REUTERS