South Korea: Martial Law Against 'Communist Forces'
Nora Fernstedt,
TT
Updated 15.59 | Published 14.41
The purpose is to protect the country against what he calls "communist forces" who he claims sympathize with the opposition.
It is the first time since 1980 that South Korea has implemented such a drastic measure.
There is currently a state of emergency in South Korea. Martial law also applies.
- (It is happening) to secure a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea's communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements, President Yoon said on live television.
It is unclear exactly what effect the president hopes the measure will have.
Yoon, who belongs to the conservative PPP, accuses the opposition in the country of conducting anti-state activities.
He claims that the opposition "paralyzes the state apparatus" and sympathizes with North Korea.
According to the military, all party political and parliamentary activity is prohibited, writes the Yonhap news agency.
Budget dispute
The announcement comes while the PPP and the opposition Democratic Party (DP) have still not agreed on next year's budget.Last week, the opposition approved a significantly smaller budget through a committee.
The president of South Korea is both head of state and government as well as commander-in-chief.
But the opposition has a majority in parliament.
Since Yoon took office in 2022, he has had difficulty getting his policies through. He has also ducked independent investigations into corruption allegations involving his wife and senior officials.
The liberal opposition Democrats called their parliamentarians to a crisis meeting immediately after Yoon's announcement.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol faces martial law or a special state of emergency, he announced in a televised appearance on Tuesday.
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