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“The parliament should focus on immediately suspending the president’s business to pass an impeachment bill soonest,” Hwang Un-ha, one of the MPs in the coalition, told reporters on Wednesday, as reported by Reuters.
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The leader of Yoon’s ruling People Power Party has also called for Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun to be fired, and the entire cabinet to resign.
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Meanwhile, more protests are expected on Wednesday with South Korea’s largest union coalition, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, planning to hold a rally in Seoul. The union, Reuters reported, has vowed to strike until Yoon resigns.
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Only becoming a democracy in the late 1980s, military intervention in civilian affairs remains a touchy subject in South Korea.
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Yoon’s sudden declaration last night marked the first time martial law had been enacted in the country in more than four decades.
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Interested in the history of martial law in South Korea, then this piece is for you:
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Thanks for joining our ongoing live coverage of the political turmoil unfolding in South Korea following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s sudden and short-lived declaration of military law overnight.
\n Here is a quick recap of the dramatic events.
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President Yoon is facing mounting calls to step down after he declared martial law in a surprise, late-night address on Tuesday, a severe measure he said was necessary to safeguard the country’s liberal democracy from “anti-state forces” and “threats posed by North Korea”. Within hours Yoon had backtracked, saying that troops would return to their barracks and the order would be lifted after a cabinet meeting.
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The main opposition Democratic party has said it will attempt to impeach Yoon if he refuses to tender his resignation immediately. Even Yoon’s own aides have offered to resign “en masse”.
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Yoon’s martial law order included a six-point decree that banned political activities and parties, “false propaganda”, strikes and “gatherings that incite social unrest”. The order also brought all media outlets under the authority of martial law and directed all medical staff, including striking doctors, to return to work within 48 hours.
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The move was met with vociferous condemnation and widely defied. Despite the deployment of helicopters on the roof of the parliament building, 190 lawmakers managed to enter the building and proceeded to unanimously vote to reject Yoon’s declaration and call for martial law to be lifted. On the streets, hundreds protested, and chanted for the president to be arrested.
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To successfully impeach Yoon, a two-thirds majority is required in the legislature.
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Opposition parties together control 192 of the 300 seats in the national assembly, so would need lawmakers from Yoon’s own party to join them.
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This the first time that martial law has been declared in South Korea in more than four decades, alarming allies. The United States, which stations nearly 30,000 troops in South Korea to protect it from the nuclear-armed North, initially voiced deep concern at the declaration, then relief that martial law was over. The UK Foreign Office’s minister for the Indo-Pacific, Catherine West, issued a statement, calling for “a peaceful resolution to the situation, in accordance with the law and the constitution of the Republic of Korea”.
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To many watching from outside, the sudden political chaos appears to have come out of nowhere. But inside South Korea, Democratic party lawmaker Kim Min-seok had warned in recent months that Yoon was gearing up to declare martial law. Korea analysts say concerns had grown after several key military positions, related to defence, counterintelligence, and information on North Korea had been filled by individuals who graduated from the same school as the president. Opposition figures such as Kim suggested these figures could play a critical role in enforcing martial law in a contingency.
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main events
Protests spread further in Seoul as lawmakers opposed to Yoon rally
Amid growing calls for President Yoon to resign, a coalition of parliamentarians is threatening to impeach him if he does not resign. They say they are planning a bill to this effect, expected to be voted on within 72 hours.
“The National Assembly will focus on immediately suspending the president's duties in order to pass the impeachment bill,” Hwang Eun-ha, a lawmaker from the ruling coalition, told reporters on Wednesday, Reuters reported. We should,” he said.
The leader of Yun's ruling party, People's Power, also called for the dismissal of Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun and the resignation of all cabinet members.
meanwhile, More protests expected Wednesday The Democratic Labor Federation of Korea, South Korea's largest labor union federation, plans to hold a rally in Seoul. According to Reuters, the union has said it will strike until Yun resigns.
History of martial law and coups in South Korea
Although South Korea only became a democracy in the late 1980s, military intervention in civil affairs remains a sensitive issue in South Korea.
Mr Yin's sudden declaration last night marked the first time martial law had been imposed in the country in more than 40 years.
If you are interested in the history of martial law in South Korea, this article is for you:
Opening overview
Thank you for joining us for our continued live coverage of the political turmoil unfolding in South Korea following President Yun Seok-Yeol's sudden and short-lived military law declaration overnight.
Here is a brief summary of the dramatic events.
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There are growing calls for President Yoon to resign after declaring martial law in a sudden speech late Tuesday night, but this harsh measure is not intended for “anti-national forces” or “anti-national forces” He said it was necessary to protect liberal democracies from “threats.” Within hours, Yun withdrew, saying the troops had returned to their barracks and the order would be lifted after a cabinet meeting.
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The main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, announced that it would try to impeach Yoon if he does not submit his immediate resignation. Even Yun's own close aides have offered to “resign en masse.''
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Yun's martial law included six ordinances banning political activities, parties, “false propaganda,” strikes, and “gatherings that incite social unrest.” The order also placed all media outlets under martial law and directed all medical staff, including striking doctors, to return to work within 48 hours.
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The move was met with vocal condemnation and widespread opposition. Despite the presence of helicopters on the roof of the parliament building, 190 members of parliament succeeded in breaking into the building and unanimously passed a resolution calling for the rejection of Yun's declaration and the lifting of martial law. Hundreds of people protested in the streets, shouting for the president's arrest.
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For Yun to be successfully impeached, a two-thirds majority in Congress is required.
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The opposition party holds 192 seats out of the 300 seats in the National Assembly, and members of Yoon's party will also need to join the opposition party.
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It is the first time martial law has been declared in South Korea in more than 40 years, and allies are on alert. The United States, which has about 30,000 troops stationed in South Korea to protect it from nuclear-armed North Korea, initially expressed deep concern about the declaration, but later expressed relief that martial law had ended. Raised. Catherine West, UK Secretary of State for Indo-Pacific, Foreign Office, issued a statementcalled for “a peaceful resolution of the situation in accordance with the laws and constitution of the Republic of Korea.”
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For many people looking in from the outside, the sudden political upheaval seems to have come out of nowhere. But within South Korea, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Min-seok has warned in recent months that Mr. Yoon is preparing to declare martial law. South Korean analysts said concerns were heightened by the appointment of graduates of the same school as the president to several key military positions related to national defence, counterintelligence and intelligence on North Korea. Kim and other opposition figures have suggested that these figures could play a key role in enforcing martial law in emergency situations.
