The president of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol he recently declared emergency martial law, accusing the opposition “of organizing an insurrection” and of “trying to overthrow free democracy.” In a speech broadcast on national TV, Yoon denounced the opposition for repeatedly using its majority in the National Assembly to impeach members of his cabinet and block the approval of his government’s budget plans. “This has paralyzed the national administration, which should have been the foundation of free democracy, but which has become a monster that destroys it.” South Korea’s news channels are all broadcasting the president’s speech, which occurred about an hour ago. It’s unclear what exactly martial law entails and what it would immediately change in South Korea. But members of the opposition are already denouncing the president.
The controversial opposition leader
The opposition leader said that South Korea “is living in a desperate moment. The fate of the country is at stake”, defining the declaration of martial law as “illegal, unconstitutional and contrary to the will of the people”. Regarding him, it should be remembered that last November 5 a court in Seoul issued a sentence of one year in prison, with a suspended sentence. Lee was found guilty of violating electoral law, accused of making false statements during the 2022 presidential election campaign, in which he was defeated by the current president. The investigation into Lee Jae-myung and the recent court ruling have attracted great attention in South Korea, generating widespread public debate. Demonstrations were held in Seoul both for and against the opposition leader: his supporters defended his innocence, while his detractors called for his arrest. Lee Jae-myung on the political scene for twenty years he has already announced his intention to appeal. It is the first time that a South Korean president has declared martial law since the military dictatorship ended in the country in the late 1980s.
A weak president
Yoon Suk Yeolelected president in 2022, is in a near-constant political stalemate with the opposition, which controls Parliament. Yoon Suk Yeol, exponent of People Power Party, he won the presidency of South Korea by narrowly beating his rival Lee Jae-myung, with a gap of just 0.7 percentage points. This result made the 2022 elections the most competitive in the country’s history since direct elections were introduced in 1987. Yoon’s tenure so far has been marked by low approval ratings, largely due to controversies and scandals. Prominent among these are the accusations against his wife, Kim Keon-heeinvolved in alleged stock manipulation cases and the controversial acceptance of an expensive Dior luxury bag. Yoon recently apologized, admitting that his wife should have behaved more appropriately.
Politically, the president is facing additional challenges as the opposition-dominated parliament hinders the implementation of his agenda, making it difficult for Yoon to implement his policies and deliver on his bombastic campaign promises. In the absence of certain information it is difficult to have a complete picture of the situation, however, the impression is that the president forced his hand after the South Korean opposition made significant reductions to the budgets proposed by the Government and the Party in power. At the same time, he initiated actions to impeach some government officials, focusing in particular on the head of the audit agency, accused of failing to initiate investigations into the first lady. Faced with this situation, the president Yoon Suk Yeol he has adopted an extreme measure, called the “nuclear option”, which is very dangerous not only for him but for the young South Korean democracy. Everything is happening while relations between North Korea and South Korea are historically tense and characterized by deep mutual distrust – they are at an all-time low and what is certainly happening in Seoul in these hours can only make the North Korean dictator happy Kim jong-unincreasingly involved in the war in Ukraine which in the long run could become a trap for him too. A deadly trap.
@reproduction reserved
