TOKYO (news agencies) — South Korea spent about six hours under martial law after President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a sudden, shocking declaration that harkened to the country’s past dictatorships.
Troops surrounded parliament after Yoon accused pro-North Korean forces of plotting to overthrow one of the world’s most vibrant democracies. Lawmakers voiced outrage and voted to end the declaration, and the president lifts the decree before daybreak Wednesday.
The actions brought high drama for an unpopular leader who has struggled to get his agenda through an opposition-dominated parliament while corruption scandals involving him and his wife. Yoon gave no direct evidence when he raised the specter of North Korea as a destabilizing force. Yoon has long maintained that a hard line against the North is the only way to stop Pyongyang from following through on its nuclear threats against Seoul.
Here’s what to know about the situation in South Korea:
Immediately after Yoon’s declaration the military chief called in key commanders for talks. South Korean troops set up barricades and then made their way into parliament.
The leader of the main opposition, which controls parliament, ordered lawmakers to return to the building, where they eventually voted to lift the declaration of martial law.
Yoon lifted the martial law decree around 4:30 a.m. during a Cabinet meeting.
Yoon’s declaration had been accompanied by an accusation that the opposition was engaged in “anti-state activities plotting rebellion.” But he did not explain what that means, and provided no specific evidence.
In the late 1980s, South Korea had a series of strongmen repeatedly invoked North Korea when struggling to control domestic dissidents and political opponents.
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