Martial law in South Korea

[Grifman]

South Korea’s president has declared martial law to root out supposed North Korean and anti-government elements:

https://apnews.com/article/south-korea- ... 4597e577c1

Parliament has subsequently voted unanimously to revoke it, setting up a showdown and a test of military loyalty.

[Grifman]

And as soon as it started, it’s over:

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/12/03 ... ticleShare

“President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea said he would lift the emergency declaration of martial law he imposed on Tuesday as soon as he could convene his cabinet, bowing to pressure after the National Assembly passed a resolution demanding it end. By law, Mr. Yoon needs to convene his cabinet to lift martial law.

The announcement by Mr. Yoon early Wednesday in South Korea came five hours after he declared martial law late Tuesday night in an unannounced televised address, and soon after the assembly unanimously voted to rescind it, a swift rebuke of the president’s response to the political deadlock that has hobbled his tenure.”

I doubt he remains in office much longer.

[Max Peck]

Sarah Jeong, an editor at The Verge, was on the scene as things were going down and live-tweeted (or whatever they call it on Bluesky) what she was seeing. Just to keep it interesting, she also was apparently very drunk at the time, because nobody told her in advance that she was going to have to go all journalist in the middle of the night.

Full feed: https://bsky.app/profile/sarahjeong.bsky.social

Sample: https://bsky.app/profile/sarahjeong.bsk ... g2dugxu22d

listen. I do not report on Korean politics. I'm out here because my (drunk) freelancer requests received a "can't do" so I just set off on my own. this is genuinely the most clumsy scene report possible. I really want to be honest about that.

I'm fucking blasted and hanging out in the weirdest scene because history happened at a deeply inconvenient hour. so it goes.

[Holman]

Yeah, that was great reporting, especially under the circumstances!

[Holman]

A big part of the context for this crisis is that South Koreans endured real dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s. People in their 50s remember oppression and are willing to stand up against its return.

Plus, universal conscription means that the military is much closer to the common citizenry rather than seeing themselves as some kind of separate warrior class.

[Blackhawk]

Great job, SK - you did what we did not.

[Max Peck]

[Max Peck]

Yoon survives the (first) impeachment effort because members of his party boycott the vote. I still believe that the reason there were only 190 members present to vote down martial law was because those from his party didn't show up. It sounds like their strategy is to avoid impeachment, and seek an orderly way for him to resign while the party maintains control of the presidency. I'm sure that none of this will cause any problems for them come the next election.

South Korea’s president avoids an impeachment attempt over short-lived martial law

South Korea’s embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol avoided an opposition-led attempt to impeach him over his short-lived imposition of martial law, as most ruling party lawmakers boycotted a parliamentary vote Saturday to deny a two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers.

The scrapping of the motion is expected to intensify protests calling for Yoon’s ouster and deepen political chaos in South Korea, with a survey suggesting a majority of South Koreans support the president’s impeachment. Yoon’s martial law declaration drew criticism from his own ruling conservative People Power Party, but the party is also determined to oppose Yoon’s impeachment apparently because it fears losing the presidency to liberals.

After the motion fell through, members of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party rallied inside the National Assembly, chanting slogans calling for Yoon’s impeachment or resignation.

The party’s floor leader, Park Chan-dae, said it will soon prepare for a new impeachment motion. Opposition parties could submit a new impeachment motion after a new parliamentary session opens next Wednesday.

[Max Peck]

South Korean parliament votes to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over martial law order

South Korea's parliament voted Saturday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law decree, a historic rebuke that was cheered by jubilant crowds who described the outcome as another defiant moment in the nation's resilient democratic journey.

The National Assembly passed the motion 204-85 in a floor vote. Yoon's presidential powers and duties will be suspended and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the country's No. 2 official, will take over his authority once copies of a document on the impeachment are delivered to Yoon and to the Constitutional Court.

The court has up to 180 days to determine whether to dismiss Yoon as president or restore his powers. If he's thrown out of office, a national election to choose his successor must be held within 60 days.

[Holman]

It turns out that a democracy less than a century old that has suffered at least two dictatorships and several coup attempts has a lot to teach the USA about resisting authoritarianism.