Yoon Suk Yeol, the president of South Korea, declared emergency martial law in a nationwide address on Tuesday, December 3, only to revoke it hours later. Yoon had accused the opposition of anti-state activities and said that this decision was taken to protect the countries from North Korean threats.
Just after military was out on the streets including the parliament building, the opposition gave a call to protest. Lawmakers rushed to the National Assembly and voted 190-0 against the martial law.
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declared that the martial law was “invalid”. He also said that lawmakers will protect the democracy of the nation.
The last time martial law was implemented in South Korea was over 40 years ago in 1979 when dictator Park Chung Hee was assassinated.
Soon, President Yoon made a second television appearance to acknowledge that the parliament has voted against the martial law.
The dramatic events put sharp focus on the embattled president. Here is what you should know about Yoon Suk Yeol.
Who is Yoon Suk Yeol?
Born in Seoul in 1960, Yoon Suk Yeol is a public prosecutor and was elected as South Korea’s president in May 2022.
He played a significant role in the conviction of former president Park Geun-hye for abuse of power. He also indicted a top aide of Moon Jae-in, another former president, for bribery and fraud.
Soon he became the presidential candidate of the conservative People Power Party, which was in opposition during that time. He won the March 2022 elections against Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party with an extremely narrow margin of less than one per cent, the lowest in the history of South Korea.
Soon, Yoon was surrounded by a series of scandals including the administration’s handling of the Seoul Halloween crowd crush that killed 159 people, which further decreased his popularity.
Critics have blamed him for the staggering economy, food inflation, and restrictions on freedom of speech. Yoon has also been accused of abusing presidential veto power to prevent a bill from being passed that would have allowed an investigation into his wife Kim Keon-hee’s alleged involvement in stock manipulation.
Yoon has maintained a tough stance on North Korea, unlike his predecessor who engaged in dialogue and peaceful reconciliation.
(With inputs from agencies)