South Korean President Declares, Then Walks Back Emergency Martial Law After Parliament Pushback

Hours after declaring martial law, South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol walked back his order following parliament’s unanimous vote against it.

"The National Assembly demanded the lifting of martial law, so the troops deployed for martial law affairs were withdrawn," Yoon said in a statement. "Martial law will be lifted immediately by accepting the National Assembly’s request through a State Council (cabinet) meeting."

Yoon declared martial law in a surprise TV address Tuesday, vowing to eradicate what he alleged were pro-North Korean forces within the country. The president denounced the opposition Democratic Party for "clear anti-state behavior aimed at inciting rebellion," citing the party’s recent motion to impeach the country’s top prosecutors and rejection of a government budget proposal.

The National Assembly voted 190-0 to block the decree, with Yoon’s own party urging him to lift it, Reuters reported.

"As the ruling party, we feel deeply sorry to the public," said Han Dong-hoon, leader of Yoon’s People Power Party. "The president must directly and thoroughly explain this tragic situation. The minister of defense, who recommended this martial law, should be immediately dismissed, and all those responsible must be held strictly accountable."

Park Chan-dae, the opposition party's floor leader, called for Yoon to "step down immediately," CNN reported.

Yoon, in his statement, stood by his initial justification for martial law, demanding that the National Assembly "immediately stop its reckless actions that paralyze the functions of the state through repeated impeachment, legislative manipulation, and budget manipulation."

The Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, "paralyzed state affairs and turned the National Assembly into a den of criminals," Yoon said in his initial declaration. "The National Assembly has become a monster undermining liberal democracy, and the nation is in a precarious state, teetering on the edge of collapse."

Yoon’s announcement marks the first time since 1980 that martial law was declared in South Korea.

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