WASHINGTON (December 3, 2024) – South Korea’s President, Yoon Suk Yeol, declared emergency martial law late-night on Tuesday. CNN reports the declaration was an accusation of “the country’s main opposition party of sympathizing with North Korea and of anti-state activities.”
However, as AP reports hours later, South Korea’s parliament voted to lift the declaration, with the National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declaring that lawmakers “will protect democracy with the people.”
For more information, please consider Celeste Arrington is the Korea Foundation Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs; Director, GW Institute for Korean Studies; Co-Director, East Asia National Resource Center. Arrington is an expert in comparative politics, South Korea, North Korea, Japan, state-society relations, law and society, media and politics, and Northeastern Asian security.
Arrington said, “The late-night declaration of martial law is an extreme move that undermines Korea's democratic institutions. It shows how frustrated President Yoon Suk-yeol has grown with the National Assembly, which the opposition party has controlled for his entire time in office since 2022. Recently, the legislators have been at loggerheads with the president over the government's budget and the opposition party's repeated efforts to impeach key government figures. But the declaration of martial law reveals a lack of the forbearance and mutual tolerance that scholars say is critical for a functioning democracy.”
If you wish to speak with Dr. Celeste Arrington, please contact Media Relations Specialist Shannon Mitchell at [email protected].
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