Experts says martial declaration was a blunder by South Korean president

The South Korean president's surprisingly short-term move to declare martial law to root out “anti-national” forces drew condemnation from opposition members, but was described as a “failure” and perhaps an attempt to “reassert himself.” Experts say it may have been an attempt.

Opposition parties moved Wednesday to impeach the president, which would require the support of two-thirds of the 300-member parliament and at least six judges of the nine-member Constitutional Court. The impeachment motion has been filed by the liberal opposition Democratic Party and five smaller opposition parties, and could be voted on as early as Friday.

“He desperately tried to assert himself to his domestic opponents that he was in charge and that there would be consequences for the opposition's efforts to block Mr. Yun's many reform plans. I think so,” said Songyun Lee. “The Sisters: The World's Most Dangerous North Korean Kim Yo Jong,” a global fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., and author of “The Sister: The World's Most Dangerous North Korean Kim Yo Jong,” told Fox News Digital.

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“But I think it was a blunder, probably a legal violation, and certainly politically close to an own goal,” he added, noting that what he thought would help him actually harmed him. He mentioned the concept of having an effect. .

South Korean government military support in the past has allowed authorities to occasionally issue martial law and other proclamations and station soldiers, tanks, and armored vehicles on the streets and at military installations, although martial law lasted only six hours. criticized and shocked the nation. public places such as schools to prevent anti-government demonstrations.

People light candles in memory of President Yun Seok-Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, which has declared martial law. (AP Photo/Lee ​​Jin Man)

The country achieved democracy in the late 1980s. No large-scale violence was reported and martial law was lifted after lawmakers rejected the move in a 190-0 vote.

In his speech announcing the declaration, Yun vowed to eliminate anti-national forces, while also accusing them of sympathizing with North Korea. North Korea, run by a totalitarian state, will use what happens in the south to its own benefit, Lee said.

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People watch a television screen showing a teleconference by South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, December 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young Jun)

“I'm sure the North Korean leadership is sharpening its knives right now,” he said. “It would be extremely unusual and abnormal for North Korea to just ignore such a sensational and breathtaking crisis in South Korea.”

Mr. Ri expected North Korea to issue provocative statements, resort to hostile acts, and blame Mr. Yoon for its own “belligerence,” and said the backlash against Mr. Yoon was a response to hostility toward its northern neighbor. I claim that.

If Yoon is impeached, Prime Minister Han Do-soo, the second-ranking government official, will take over the presidential position. Currently, three judges have resigned, leaving only six judges on the Constitutional Court, meaning that all six judges would have to vote in favor of impeachment in order to remove Yun from office.

Four of the six judges were appointed by Yoon.

In this photo taken on May 9, 2023, South Korean soldiers walk through Panmunjom, a truce village in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates South and North Korea. looking at background. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

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“If we reach that point, it remains to be seen whether the Constitutional Court will actually approve and approve the impeachment and expulsion of President Yoon, but it is a possibility,” Lee said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.