Democracy Sighs in Relief: Martial Law Undone Mere Hours After Declaration 

South Korea saw a brief glimpse of how a proper descent into fascism could look like with their President Yoon Suk Yeol declaring an emergency Martial Law on live television with the claim that it would help eliminate “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces”—only for it to be reversed hours later. 

What Is Martial Law?

When a civil administration is replaced by military leadership who have unrestricted authority to suspend the regular legal safeguards for civilian rights, this is known as martial law. Martial law can be established during a coup or declared in response to a crisis. Because it is simpler to withdraw, a proclamation of emergency is more frequently declared during disasters or civil disturbances than the imposition of martial law. A declaration of emergency permits the government to temporarily curtail certain civil liberties while avoiding military authority in order to address a crisis. 

On December 3rd 2024, the President of South Korea had imposed emergency martial law and charged the opposition with anti-state actions. Legislators were prohibited from entering the National Assembly after its entrance was sealed.

The Response 

The declaration sent shockwaves through all of South Korea, materialising into immediate protests, widespread outrage and turmoil. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Parliament to oppose the president’s decision. Shouts of “Arrest Yoon” and “Impeach Yoon” reverberated through the thick night air as protesters hoisted South Korean flags and held banners with slogans demanding Yoon’s resignation. The people of South Korea were desperate to fight for the restoration of their hard-won democracy.

Even though Parliamentarians were barred from entering the National Assembly, many of them ended up making their way in by leaping fences and struggling with the armed officers—subsequently voted against the implementation of the Martial Law with the resolve of protecting democracy with the people. Out of the 300 members, the 190 members in attendance voted unanimously in favour of the resolution. The President was then forced to annul his proclamation after six hours. 

Withdrawal In Hours

Yoon addressed the nation for a second time on Tuesday to roll back his declaration. “Just a moment ago, there was a demand from the National Assembly to lift the state of emergency, and we have withdrawn the military that was deployed for martial law operations,” he said. Every corner of South Korea could then take a collective breath of relief as all political activity including meetings of the National Assembly, rallies, protests and media freedom would have been suspended had the law remained in effect.

Following the President’s unsuccessful attempt to unnerve South Korean democracy, opposition leaders have initiated the process of impeachment and the Parliament is set to vote on the situation later this week. People have been demanding that Yoon steps down as the protests persisted into Wednesday evening.