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South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an \u201cemergency martial law,\u201d Tuesday accusing the country\u2019s opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government with anti-state activities, AP reported.<\/p>\n
Yoon made the announcement in a televised briefing, vowing to \u201ceradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.\u201d<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t immediately clear how Yoon\u2019s step would affect the country\u2019s governance and democracy. The move drew immediate opposition from politicians, including the leader of his own conservative party, Han Dong-hoon, who called the decision \u201cwrong\u201d and vowed to \u201cstop it with the people.\u201d Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, called Yoon\u2019s announcement \u201cillegal and unconstitutional.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough this martial law, I will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into the depths of national ruin,\u201d Yoon said during a televised speech, invoking South Korea\u2019s formal name.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and normalize the country,\u201d he said, while asking the people to believe in him and tolerate \u201csome inconveniences.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yoon \u2014 whose approval rating has dipped in recent months \u2014 has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022.<\/p>\n
Yoon\u2019s conservative People Power Party had been locked in an impasse with the liberal opposition Democratic Party over next year\u2019s budget bill. The opposition has also been attempting to pass motions to impeach three top prosecutors, including the chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors\u2019 Office, in what the conservatives have called a vendetta against their criminal investigations on Lee, who has been seen as the favorite for the next presidential election in 2027 in opinion polls.<\/p>\n
Yoon has also been dismissing calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife and top officials, drawing quick, strong rebukes from his political rivals. The Democratic Party reportedly called an emergency meeting of its lawmakers following Yoon\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n