“To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements… I hereby declare emergency martial law,” Yoon Suk Yeol said in a live televised address to the nation.
South Korea Declares Emergency Martial Law
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday invoked emergency martial law and accused the opposition of being conspiring to overthrow the government, over a disputed budget bill in the parliament.
To protect the liberal South Korea from the threats of North Korea’s communism forces and to expel all the anti-state elements who are robbing people’s freedom and happiness, I hereby announce the emergency martial law, Yoon said during the live address to the nation.
“careless of the people’s means of putting the food on the table, the opposition party has shut down government functions for the sole purpose of impeachments, special probes, and protecting their leader from prosecution,” he furiously said.
South Korea’s Budget Bill Issue
The decision comes as Yoon’s People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party are at each other’s throat over the budget bill for next year. Last week the parliamentary committee was agreed on a considerably shrunken budget option by the Opposition MPs.
The opposition has cut about KRW 4.1 trillion from Yoon’s 677 trillion won budget plan which the president-elect proposed in December slashing the government reserve fund and activity budgets for Yoon’s office, the prosecution, police and the state audit agency.
“Criminals have taken over our National Assembly, it has crystalized as a legislative dictatorship to incapacitate the judicial and administrative structures and overthrown the liberal democratic system that we, Koreans have chosen,” Yoon said.
South Korea: Assembly Closed
Yoon, a former prosecutor, alleged that the opposition lawmakers “cut all key budgets necessary for performances of the essential function of the state such as fighting drug crimes and maintaining public order…to turn the country into a place for drug crimes and a state of public safety.
The president proceeded to brand the opposition which controls majority in the 300-member parliament as “anti-state reactants’ bent on bringing down the system”.
Yoon described imposition of the martial law as “inevitable if South Korea wants to guarantee its existence as a liberal democracy today,” at the same time stressing that the measure will not affect the foreign policy.
”I will bring the country back to normal as soon as possible by removing those that are against the state,” he said without elaborating on what other than the martial law at that time.
He said the situation in South Korea is ‘precarious’, as the National Assembly is a monster threatening to topple liberal democracy on the country.
All units of the South Korean military with the country still technically at war with the atomic-armed North have been instructed to heighten their emergency notification and preparedness following the declaration of martial law, Yonhap news reported.
The doors and gates to the National Assembly have been closed and lawmakers are locked out of the facility as Yonhap reported.
The emergency martial law comes at a time when Yoon’s approval rating slid to 19 percent in the latest Gallup pol on last week resulting to dissatisfaction on his management of the economy and controversies around his wife, Kim Keon Hee.
Eventually, economy of the Republic of Korea will be doomed for failure. My country men and women, this house of National Assembly, I want you to come,” said Lee in an online broadcast.
Yoon, in his speech, also mentioned an impeachment motion, tabled by the Democratic Party this week. Their action was to impeach some of South Korea’s highly ranked prosecutors and its refusal of government’s budget bill.
On Monday, South Korean ministers criticised the opposition’s decision to cut more than 4 trillion won from the government’s budget draft. Yoon, however, stated that such action interferes with the basic operations of the government.
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