The determination that drove last Tuesday intended to prohibit political activity and censor the media South Koreans, which has Asia’s fourth-largest economy and is a key ally of USA.
Armed troops forcibly entered the building National Assembly in Seoulbut backed down when parliamentary aides They sprayed them with fire extinguishers. Lawmakers rejected the martial law decision as protesters scuffled with police outside.
On Tuesday night, Civic and labor groups held candlelight vigil in central Seoul calling for Yoon’s resignationa reminder of the massive protests that led to the impeachment of former president Park Geun-hye in 2017. They then marched to the presidential office.
Opposition measures
Six opposition parties They submitted a bill in parliament to impeach Yoonwho He had already faced harsh accusations by his opponents and within his own party. The vote was scheduled for Friday or Saturday.
Shortly after midnight on Wednesday A plenary session was scheduled to begin to formally present the project of law. “We could not ignore the illegal martial law, we can no longer allow democracy to collapse,” the PD lawmaker told reporters. Kim Yong-min.
The leader of the ruler People Power Party asked the dismissal of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyunand the resignation of the entire cabinet.
What is the martial law that Yoon Suk Yeol tried to impose in South Korea
On Tuesday the President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial lawwhich ordered the closure of Parliament, the prohibition of all political activities and protests and allowed military mobilization to maintain internal order. However, the decision generated strong opposition among the population and was repealed by Parliament.
Since its founding on August 15, 1948, South Korea declared martial law 10 times in response to different crises such as the Yeosu-Suncheon rebellion and the Korean War. The news agency Yonhap broadcast videos of south korean soldiers with a strong presence in the streets and breaking into the National Assembly building.
Martial law is a measure used only in emergency situations that grant exceptional powers to the Executive Branch. This legislation allows limit constitutional rights and deploy the armed forces in the streets.
In detail, said legislation grants the Armed Forces a temporary government during the given emergency. Furthermore, it can restrict fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, assembly and movement.
Thus, the suspension of the usual civil rights and can include the application of military justice to the civilian public. On a practical level, it means that during the period in which Martial Law is in force – in South Korea it was only 6 hours -, arrests can be carried out without a legal entity carrying out any type of control.
The South Korean measure expressly excepts “ordinary innocent citizens“, excluding “anti-state and subversive forces.”
Source: Ambito
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