What to Know about South Korea's Short Period of Martial Law
2024-12-05
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1South Korea's parliament moved to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law and sent troops into the streets on Tuesday night.
2For several hours, armed forces with helicopters and armored vehicles surrounded the parliament.
3Lawmakers had to climb walls to get into the building and used fire extinguishers to hold off the troops.
4The lawmakers who were able to reenter the building rejected Yoon's martial law declaration with a 190-0 vote.
5Eighteen lawmakers from Yoon's party also voted against the declaration.
6The vote forced Yoon to lift martial law about six hours after it began.
7Opposition parties then began the process of impeachment.
8Impeachment is a way for lawmakers to charge a public official with a crime while they are in office.
9Impeaching Yoon requires the support of two-thirds of the National Assembly and at least six of the nine Constitutional Court justices.
10The liberal opposition Democratic Party holds a majority in the 300-seat parliament and has called for Yoon's resignation.
11A vote on the impeachment motion could be held as early as Friday, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min said.
12Yoon ordered martial law without warning in a speech late Tuesday.
13He promised to remove "anti-state" forces he said were planning to rebel.
14He accused the main opposition parties of supporting North Korea.
15Yoon gave no direct evidence when he pointed to North Korea as a threatening force.
16Yoon has long held that a hard line is the only way to stop the North from following through on its nuclear threats against the South.
17In the late 1980s, several South Korean strongmen spoke of the threat from the North when struggling to control protesters and political opponents in the South.
18As president, Yoon has struggled to get his proposals through the opposition-controlled parliament.
19At the same time, Yoon and his wife have faced charges of corruption.
20South Korea's constitution gives the president power to use the military to keep order in "wartime, war-like situations or other comparable national emergency states."
21That can include suspending civil rights and temporarily limiting the powers of the courts and government agencies.
22But it also gives the National Assembly power to lift the declaration with a majority vote.
23Some experts say the way Yoon declared martial law went far beyond his lawful powers.
24The constitution does not permit a president to use the military to suspend parliament.
25And many question whether the country really faces a situation comparable to war.
26The opposition said Yoon's actions were "illegal and unconstitutional."
27The sudden declaration was also opposed by the leader of Yoon's own conservative party.
28Han Dong-hoon called the decision wrong and promised to "stop it with the people."
29South Korea became a democracy only in the late 1980s, and military intervention in civilian affairs is still a sensitive subject.
30South Koreans were in shock with the actions.
31And many expressed surprise and worry on social media over Yoon's announcement.
32I'm Jill Robbins.
1South Korea's parliament moved to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law and sent troops into the streets on Tuesday night. 2For several hours, armed forces with helicopters and armored vehicles surrounded the parliament. Lawmakers had to climb walls to get into the building and used fire extinguishers to hold off the troops. 3The lawmakers who were able to reenter the building rejected Yoon's martial law declaration with a 190-0 vote. Eighteen lawmakers from Yoon's party also voted against the declaration. The vote forced Yoon to lift martial law about six hours after it began. 4Opposition parties then began the process of impeachment. 5Impeachment is a way for lawmakers to charge a public official with a crime while they are in office. Impeaching Yoon requires the support of two-thirds of the National Assembly and at least six of the nine Constitutional Court justices. The liberal opposition Democratic Party holds a majority in the 300-seat parliament and has called for Yoon's resignation. 6A vote on the impeachment motion could be held as early as Friday, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min said. 7Yoon said there was a plan to rebel 8Yoon ordered martial law without warning in a speech late Tuesday. He promised to remove "anti-state" forces he said were planning to rebel. He accused the main opposition parties of supporting North Korea. 9Yoon gave no direct evidence when he pointed to North Korea as a threatening force. Yoon has long held that a hard line is the only way to stop the North from following through on its nuclear threats against the South. 10In the late 1980s, several South Korean strongmen spoke of the threat from the North when struggling to control protesters and political opponents in the South. 11As president, Yoon has struggled to get his proposals through the opposition-controlled parliament. At the same time, Yoon and his wife have faced charges of corruption. 12What is martial law? 13South Korea's constitution gives the president power to use the military to keep order in "wartime, war-like situations or other comparable national emergency states." That can include suspending civil rights and temporarily limiting the powers of the courts and government agencies. 14But it also gives the National Assembly power to lift the declaration with a majority vote. 15Some experts say the way Yoon declared martial law went far beyond his lawful powers. The constitution does not permit a president to use the military to suspend parliament. And many question whether the country really faces a situation comparable to war. 16The opposition said Yoon's actions were "illegal and unconstitutional." The sudden declaration was also opposed by the leader of Yoon's own conservative party. Han Dong-hoon called the decision wrong and promised to "stop it with the people." 17South Korea became a democracy only in the late 1980s, and military intervention in civilian affairs is still a sensitive subject. South Koreans were in shock with the actions. And many expressed surprise and worry on social media over Yoon's announcement. 18I'm Jill Robbins. 19Foster Klug reported this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 20______________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22impeach - v. to charge (a public official) with a crime done while in office 23martial law - n. control of an area by military forces rather than by the police 24armored - adj. covered in flat pieces of metal to protect against attack 25fire extinguisher - n. a metal container filled with chemicals that is used to put out a fire 26What do you think of this story? Write to us in the Comments Section.