On 3 December before 23 Korean time, South Korea's president Yoon Suk-yeol abruptly made a message about the introduction of martial law in order to "eliminate pro-North Korean and anti-state forces and reconstruct constitutional order". It immediately became clear that there is no real threat, that these alleged forces are the opposition, and that the president is trying to take over the country by force.
In accordance with the decree introducing martial law, the activities of all political parties, the National Assembly, municipal and municipal councils were banned. All the media were to go under the control of the authorities, and citizens could be detained without warrants for arrest. Demonstrations and rallies were besides banned. Nevertheless, and despite the later seasons, the Koreans went out on the streets to protest the President's decision.
Just after president Yoon made a message on the introduction of martial law, parliamentarians, primarily representatives of the Democratic Party, went to the National Assembly building as shortly as possible after. Many of them, including the talker of the Woo Won-sik Parliament, had to jump through the fences to get into the building, due to the fact that safety forces on command of the martial law command blocked the entrance gates to the parliament.
35 mins after midnight from 3 to 4 December president of the National Assembly Woo entered the gathering area and a fewer minutes later a formal resolution on the abolition of martial law began. At the same time as the parliamentarians began voting, soldiers of a peculiar unit were entering the National Assembly building to prevent it from proceeding. However, just after 1 night 190 parliamentarians unanimously adopted the resolution. What was crucial were not only opposition representatives, but besides 18 members of Yoon's party.
The resolution was then immediately sent to the President. There has been a fewer hours of uncertainty as to whether the president will follow the procedure laid down in the Constitution and retreat the martial law or proceed to effort to take power. After 4:00 in the morning, Yoon Suk-yeol reported that the martial law had been abolished.
More than 3 hours of waiting for the president's decision indicate that he himself must have wondered what to do. He seems to have considered ignoring the will of the National Assembly and continuing to bring martial law. However, the decisive reaction of the public, who went out on the streets to protest the President's actions, the swift decision of parliament, and even the opposition of their own organization and part of the army, made Yoon surrender in his intentions.
This few-hour martial law in South Korea was 1 of the strangest and possibly shortest war states in the world. The next fewer twelve hours after that was the disclosure of the information collected together allowed to present in a broader context how extended and dangerous the plans of the South Korean president and the Minister of Defence were, and what could have happened if not for the fast consequence of Parliament.
Why this reaction from the National Assembly? The parliamentary majority has the other against president Yoon Democratic Party. Many of its members spent years of their youth protesting and fighting military dictatorship (until 1987 South Korea was an authoritarian state). So they immediately knew what Yoon was planning. They besides knew that fast access to parliament and the adoption of the resolution were the only way to halt the plans of the president of South Korea. Parliamentarians, their assistants, and the average staff of the National Assembly expected the military to take control of the building to prevent voting. Therefore, barricades from cabinets, chairs and all the things available in the parliament building were created immediately, and people besides blocked access to the entrance to slow down soldiers as much as possible.
In time, it was besides revealed that the soldiers themselves besides unwittingly contributed to the fact that Parliament could vote on the resolution. This was due to the fact that part of the military command had not previously known plans to introduce martial law. peculiar Unit 707 was sent by helicopters to the National Assembly on individual orders from the Minister of Defence. The troops sent had no prior reconnaissance of the site and clearly issued instructions. Until they landed, the soldiers didn't know what to do. Under parliament they had already encountered a crowd of people who tried to block the entrance into the building and delayed the soldiers' actions. And any of the soldiers, erstwhile she found out about their mission, refused to follow orders.
It besides turned out that not only part of the military command did not know about the plan to introduce martial law, but besides part of the South Korean government. The thought was to make and then present to the president the defence minister Kim Yong-hyun. The plan developed in a tiny group was intended to keep it a secret, followed by its efficient implementation. However, Kim and Yoon seemingly overestimated the opportunities, and besides fewer people active made it impossible to accomplish the script of fast take over full power and media control.
When the media discovered that Kim was the instigator of martial law, the defence minister resigned. The prosecution rapidly initiated a preliminary investigation against him and banned him from leaving the country. The erstwhile Deputy Minister, who turned out to be acting Minister of Defence, was besides unaware of the plans of his superior. He decided to suspend the work of 3 military men who were active in the introduction of martial law: the commander of the Capital Defence, peculiar Forces and Defence Counterintelligence. peculiar Forces Commander admitted that the Minister of Defence ordered him to forcely push out of the National Assembly of Parliamentaries.
It was besides rapidly revealed that the coup plan had assumed arrest of Yoon's opponents. Not only leaders and major members of the Democratic organization were to be arrested, but there were besides judges of the ultimate Court, and even Han Dong-hun – president of the National Force Party, or president Yoon's party. This information was confirmed by the Deputy manager of the National Intelligence Service (NIS). Yoon called him and ordered those politicians to be arrested. The president most likely just called him due to the fact that he knew that the NIS manager would refuse to follow his orders. However, the vice chief besides refused to arrest opposition members and Han.
Already a day after the martial law, the full opposition filed an application to the National Assembly to initiate an impeachment procedure against Yoon Suk-yeola. respective times the voting deadline was changed to yet fix it at 7 December to 17 Korean time.
Even though the president suspended martial law, there was a fear especially among opposition politicians that Yoon might reopen the coup attempt. The day before the impeachment vote was voted on by the president of the National Assembly on the lawns around Parliament, buses and cars were deployed to prevent the possible landing of military helicopters. Moreover, many parliamentarians decided to sleep from 6 to 7 December in the National Assembly building or in their close offices, in order to be able to re-enter the Hall as shortly as necessary.
In the end, however, concerns about the reintroduction of martial law proved to be wrong, and the president himself made a brief message in which he apologized in laconic words for causing unrest among citizens. However, there was inactive uncertainty about the result of Yoon's impeachment vote. Although only 8 votes were missing from the opposition, it was uncertain to the very end whether there would be respective brave members in the presidential organization who would vote against Yoon and against the organization line. Eventually, the National Force organization boycotted a decisive majority vote. To effort to get the quorum, the vote that began after 18 Korean time lasted over 3 hours. 3 members of the President's organization took part in the vote. But that wasn't enough. The final vote was 195 of 300 parliamentarians. In the absence of a minimum of 200 votes, the proposal fell.
The opposition Democratic organization announced that in the coming days it would again request the removal of president Yoon Suk-yeol from office. If necessary, he plans to hold a peculiar gathering of the National Assembly for 11 December to effort the impeachment erstwhile again. However, if the proposal is besides rejected this time, the opposition declares its willingness to submit further proposals until the nonsubjective is achieved. At the same time, it can be expected that South Korean citizens will proceed to protest massively throughout the country, demanding Yoon's removal from power. specified social pressures may put force on politicians, which may consequence in any parliamentarians breaking out of the ruling organization and supporting the President's impeachment.
Yoon Suk-yeol introduced the first martial law in almost 50 years irreparably changed South Korea. He lost the public's trust, part of his own party, as well as military command. Moreover, any ministers in his office no longer trust him. Even if he remains in office, the ongoing investigation of the events of December 3 will affect his fulfilment of the duties of president and the efficiency of the functioning of the South Korean government.
The next fewer weeks will indicate the future of South Korea. Mass protests in many cities will only grow. Yoon Suk-yeol made his decision to evoke trauma from periods of dictatorship, and the Korean society showed that it can mobilize very quickly. The experience of more than 30 years ago is inactive in the memory of Koreans, which makes many of them ready to fight again for democracy. A increasing wave of social discontent can be utilized to build wider support for impeachment and to drag any of the MPs from the presidential organization to the opposition side. This in turn could origin deeper divisions in the organization of the National Force, as well as in the South Korean government. At the turn of 2016 and 2017, it was the large protests lasting respective weeks that made President Park Geun-hye was removed from office. Now it is the people of Korea who, through their commitment, can influence Yoon's political future, and consequently the future of their own country.
