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Martial law declaration is 'invalid' says Assembly chairman after vote
Woo Won-sik, the chair of the Assembly has said that the emergency martial law declaration is “invalid” following the vote by lawmakers for the decree to be lifted, according to CNN.
“The President should immediately lift the emergency martial law following the voting by the Assembly” Won-sik reportedly said. “Now, emergency martial law declaration is invalid.”
“The people should … rest easy, the Assembly will defend democracy with the people,” he added.
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Here are some new photos coming through the wire showing the scenes outside the Assembly in Seoul:
Martial law troops begin to withdraw from parliament building
It is just after 2am local time in Seoul and CNN is reporting troops are beginning to withdraw from the main parliamentary building, following a unanimous vote by lawmakers in South Korea to block the president’s martial law decree.
Soldiers entered the building not long after the president’s declaration of martial law on Tuesday.
The speaker of the Assembly also reportedly just stated that South Korean troops are leaving the parliament building, according to the BBC, which cited the Yonhap news agency.
The local Korean newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, is also reporting that some forces are still waiting within the Assembly grounds, although some appear to have set down their gear, according to CNN.
Protesters remain in a stand-off with the police outside the Assembly compound
Journalists on the ground are reporting that police are standing at the main gate of the Assembly in Seoul, while protesters continue to shout and chant.
“We are not here to fight you, we are here to fight Yoon” some protesters are chanting.
The protesters are reportedly in the thousands.
This live video stream from Reuters shows members South Korea’s opposition party protesting outside the Assembly, chanting.
What does the South Korean constitution say?
South Korea’s constitution states the president has the authority to declare martial law when it is deemed necessary to cope with a military threat or to maintain public safety and order by mobilizing military forces, according to Reuters.
The president’s martial law declaration must be reviewed by the cabinet, and once martial law is declared, the Assembly must be notified of the decision.
If the Assembly requests the lifting of martial law by a majority vote of its members, the president must comply.
The martial law commander has authority over all administrative and judicial matters and is appointed by the president on the recommendation of the defence minister among active-duty generals. The commander has the power to take actions related to arrests of persons, searches and seizures, speech and the press, and assembly.
Martial law declaration is 'invalid' says Assembly chairman after vote
Woo Won-sik, the chair of the Assembly has said that the emergency martial law declaration is “invalid” following the vote by lawmakers for the decree to be lifted, according to CNN.
“The President should immediately lift the emergency martial law following the voting by the Assembly” Won-sik reportedly said. “Now, emergency martial law declaration is invalid.”
“The people should … rest easy, the Assembly will defend democracy with the people,” he added.
US Deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell says that the US is watching recent developments in South Korea with “grave concern.”
“We have every hope and expectation that any political disputes in South Korea will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law” Campbell said on Tuesday at an event at the US state department.”
The Chinese embassy has urged citizens in South Korea to exercise “caution” and to “remain calm.”
In a statement on Tuesday, China’s embassy in Seoul warned its citizens to exercise “caution” after the imposition of martial law in South Korea.
The embassy advised “Chinese nationals in South Korea to remain calm, monitor developments in South Korea’s political situation, enhance safety awareness, limit unnecessary outings, exercise caution when expressing political opinions.”
UK government says it is 'closely monitoring’ the situation in South Korea
UK prime minister Keir Starmer’s deputy spokesperson has told reporters that they are “closely monitoring developments in South Korea.”
“We would advise all British nationals to monitor the UK’s travel advice for updates and follow the advice of local authorities,” the spokesperson added.
The Korean won is down sharply against the US dollar.
A central bank official said it was preparing measures to stabilize the market if needed, according to Reuters. Finance minister Choi Sang-mok has also convened an emergency meeting among top economic officials, his spokesperson told the agency.
Thousands of people protest outside parliament
Thousands of people are gathered outside the parliament and police buses have blocked the main entrance to the parliament compound, Reuters is reporting.
“Lift martial law, protect democracy” protesters are reportedly chanting. Some are also chanting “impeach President Yoon.”
Lawmakers in South Korea vote to lift the martial law decree
South Korea’s parliament, with 190 of its 300 members present, just passed a motion requiring the martial law declared by President Yoon Suk Yeol to be lifted.
All 190 lawmakers present voted to lift the measure, according to CNN.
Here are some of the photos that are being filed from the ground in South Korea right now:
Here is a statement from speaker Woo Won-shik’s office:
Dear citizens, this is the speaker of the national assembly. In response to the president’s declaration of martial law, the national assembly will take appropriate measures in accordance with constitutional procedures.
We ask the citizens to trust the national assembly and calmly observe the situation. All members of the national assembly are requested to convene in the main assembly hall immediately.
In particular, we urge military and police forces to remain calm and maintain their positions.
Here is a video of opposition MPs gathering outside the parliament in Seoul. There is a substantial police presence outside the assembly in the Yeongdeungpo district in the South Korean capital:
What is the political context surrounding the president's surprise declaration of martial law?
The Agence France-Presse news agency has this report:
The surprise move comes as Yoon Suk-Yeol’s People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party continue to bicker over next year’s budget bill. Opposition MPs last week approved a significantly downsized budget plan through a parliamentary committee.
The opposition has slashed approximately 4.1tn won ($2.8bn) from Yoon’s proposed 677tn won budget plan, cutting the government’s reserve fund and activity budgets for Yoon’s office, the prosecution, police and the state audit agency.
“Our Assembly has become a haven for criminals, a den of legislative dictatorship that seeks to paralyse the judicial and administrative systems and overturn our liberal democratic order,” Yoon said.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, accused opposition lawmakers of cutting “all key budgets essential to the nation’s core functions, such as combatting drug crimes and maintaining public security... turning the country into a drug haven and a state of public safety chaos.”
The president went on to label the opposition, which holds a majority in the 300-member parliament, as “anti-state forces intent on overthrowing the regime”.
Yoon described the imposition of martial law as “inevitable to guarantee the continuity of a liberal South Korea,” adding that it would not impact the country’s foreign policy.
“I will restore the country to normalcy by getting rid of anti-state forces as soon as possible,” he said, without elaborating further other than the martial law in place.
He described the current situation as South Korea “on the verge of collapse, with the national assembly acting as a monster intent on bringing down liberal democracy”.
