What you need to know
• South Korea has been plunged into political chaos in the hours since President Yoon Suk Yeol’s aborted attempt to declare martial law, which sparked a fierce backlash and mounting pressure for him to step down.
• Six opposition parties have submitted a bill calling for Yoon’s impeachment. The main opposition Democratic Party, meanwhile, said it had begun formalizing treason charge plans against the president, as well as the defense and interior ministers.
• The country’s largest union group said members would strike until the president quits and protesters are echoing the widespread demands for him to resign. Yoon’s chief of staff and other top officials have submitted their resignations.
• Yoon declared martial law in an extraordinary late-night address, accusing the Democratic Party of sympathizing with North Korea and of “anti-state” activities. In an overnight showdown, lawmakers forced their way past soldiers into parliament and voted to strike down the decree.
South Korea’s political saga could last months if impeachment goes ahead, editor says
Repercussions over President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law decree could tip South Korea into months of political turmoil, a newspaper editor told CNN.
Six opposition parties have moved to impeach Yoon following the widespread backlash to his decree across the political spectrum, in a process that could last up to three months, Kenneth Choi, international editor of The Chosun Ilbo newspaper, told CNN.
Yoon’s martial law decree was not supported by the populace, the military or police, Choi said, and “there’s basically nothing for him to gain,” raising questions as to his motivation for making it.
Choi said the six hours of late-night political drama could potentially spook a lot of foreign investors in South Korea, which already faces an uncertain economic outlook.
South Korea is home to global cultural exports ranging from the popular Netflix series Squid Game to chart-topping K-pop acts, and has grown its soft power internationally, and Choi said “it’s a shame” for it to be dragged into a political maelstrom.
Survivor of martial law says she’s keeping vigil at National Assembly in candlelight rally
Several hundred people gathered on the steps outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday afternoon, many clutching candles to hold vigil.
When President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late Tuesday, 64-year-old Mi-rye at first thought she was watching a deepfake.
She lived through martial law 44 years ago and couldn’t believe it was happening again.
She couldn’t sleep and so traveled from her home city of Paju in Gyeonggi Province, near the border with North Korea, to Seoul.
During the last bout of martial law, people lived under strict curfews and “anyone caught outside was taken to the Samcheong re-education camp,” she said.
Though she was relieved that martial law was rescinded overnight, she fears it could be reinstated.
Life broadly continued as normal in Seoul on Wednesday, just hours after Yoon’s declaration of martial law shocked the country and plunged one of the world’s biggest democracies into political uncertainty.
Outside the National Assembly, a steady stream of people joined those sitting on the steps, with many coming after work or school. Wrapped up against the cold December day, they chanted “Resign” and “Step down.”
Several people said it was important to be there, while lawmakers remained inside, to watch and to hold vigil to ensure democracy remains intact.
Anger and frustration at the president was palpable, with many asking: What was it all for?
“Difficult to understand” what South Korea president was trying to achieve, analyst says
Great uncertainty looms over Yoon Suk Yeol’s presidency as support for the South Korean president crumbles in the wake of the national crisis sparked by his brief imposition of martial law, an expert on US-Korea relations said.
Yoon’s unexpected announcement last night in an apparent attempt to resolve a political standoff with the opposition was “quite shocking to many Koreans,” said Ellen Kim, a senior fellow with the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Yoon’s move – the first declaration of martial law since South Korea transitioned to democracy in the late 1980s – brought back painful memories of the country’s former military dictatorship, Kim told CNN’s Lynda Kinkade.
South Korea had been in a bitter political stalemate for months, with the country’s liberal opposition parties winning a parliamentary majority in April. Last week, tensions escalated when the opposition decided to cut the government budget and start impeachment proceedings against key officials.
Though Yoon has been a strong advocate of freedom and democracy, his declaration of martial law made it “difficult to understand what he’s trying to achieve” in the face of an already fractious political atmosphere, Kim said.
South Korean prime minister pledges to serve “until the last moment” as calls grow for president to resign
South Korea’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has pledged to serve the people “until the very end” following a slew of resignations and growing calls for the president to resign.
“I will work with Cabinet members until the very end to serve the people,” he said. “From this moment on, the Cabinet must fulfill its duties to ensure the nation’s stability and the people’s daily lives remain unaffected.”
Six opposition parties have moved to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol following widespread backlash across the political spectrum, including from within his own party, against his short-lived martial law decree.
What happens next? A bill calling for the president’s impeachment has been submitted to the National Assembly, the country’s legislature, with voting set for Friday or Saturday, according to Yonhap News Agency. If passed, it would then go to the Constitutional Court, where at least six judges must agree to uphold the impeachment.
Under the South Korean constitution, the president would be suspended from exercising his power during the court process until the impeachment is adjudicated. The prime minister would step in as interim leader.
Yoon’s Chief of Staff and more than 10 senior secretaries to the president have submitted their resignations.
A journalist-turned-lawmaker grappled with an armed soldier in a show of defiance and anger after South Korea’s president imposed martial law last night, in a viral video shared widely online.
The footage shows a woman in a dark jacket grappling with a soldier. She grabs his rifle, with the two struggling for the weapon for several seconds. At one point the soldier points his rifle at the woman.
“Let go of me,” she shouts at the soldier.
They are then surrounded by a crowd, with bystanders eventually separating the pair. The soldier then walks away, as the woman shouts: “Aren’t you embarrassed?”
CNN affiliate MBC identified the woman as Ahn Gwi-ryeong, spokesperson for the main opposition Democratic Party and former anchor on broadcaster YTN. She had posted on Facebook on Tuesday night, writing: “No power can overpower the people.”
The clips, taken from CNN affiliate JTBC and a separate livestream by online broadcaster Oh My News, have been viewed more than 7 million times on social platform X by Wednesday afternoon.
CNN has reached out to Ahn and the Democratic Party for comment.
This post has been updated with additional information.
Martial law fiasco injects uncertainty into Asia’s fourth-largest economy
The imposition and abrupt cancelation of martial law have created uncertainty for South Korea’s economic outlook.
The country is home to some of the world’s biggest companies – including tech giants Samsung, SK Hynix and LG – and carmakers like Hyundai. Striking workers from the country’s largest umbrella union may affect some production, depending on how long the industrial action lasts.
Samsung’s London-listed shares slumped 7% on Tuesday at the height of the chaos. But they fared much better in Seoul on Wednesday, last trading a relatively modest 1.1% lower.
Economists are also worried about possible knock-on effects on South Korea’s credit worthiness, even if there is no immediate pressure to downgrade its debt rating.
