South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said early Wednesday that he would soon lift the martial law he imposed during a tense night of political drama in which troops surrounded parliament and lawmakers voted to reject military rule.
Yoon said his government has withdrawn military personnel that had been deployed, and that he would formally lift martial law following a Cabinet meeting as “soon as members arrive.”
Late Tuesday, Yoon had vowed to eliminate “anti-state” forces as he struggles against an opposition that controls the country’s parliament and that he accuses of sympathizing with communist North Korea.
Hours later, parliament voted to lift the declaration, with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declaring that lawmakers “will protect democracy with the people.” The resolution was passed with 190 of 300 members of the ruling and opposition parties in attendance, with all present in favor, the BBC reported.
Police and military personnel were seen leaving the Assembly’s grounds after Woo called for their withdrawal. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the liberal Democratic Party, which holds the majority in the 300-seat parliament, said the party’s lawmakers will remain in the Assembly’s main hall until Yoon formally lifts his order.
“Democratic Party lawmakers, including me and many others, will protect our country’s democracy and future and public safety, lives and properties, with our own lives,” Lee told reporters.
Seemingly hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Assembly, waving banners and calling for Yoon’s impeachment. Some protesters scuffled with troops ahead of the lawmakers’ vote, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or major property damage. At least one window was broken as troops attempted to enter the Assembly building. One woman tried unsuccessfully to pull a rifle away from one of the soldiers, while shouting “Aren’t you embarrassed!”
The president’s surprising move harkened back to an era of authoritarian leaders that the country has not seen since the 1980s, and it was immediately denounced by the opposition and the leader of Yoon’s own conservative party.
Following Yoon’s announcement, South Korea’s military proclaimed that parliament and other political gatherings that could cause “social confusion” would be suspended, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
The military also said that the country’s striking doctors should return to work within 48 hours, Yonhap said. Thousands of doctors have been striking for months over government plans to expand the number of students at medical schools. The military said anyone who violates the decree could be arrested without a warrant.
Under South Korean law, martial law can be lifted with a majority vote in the parliament, where the opposition Democratic Party holds a majority.
Soon after the declaration, the National Assembly speaker called in an emergency statement released on his YouTube channel for all lawmakers to gather at the National Assembly. He urged military and law enforcement personnel to “remain calm and hold their positions.
All 190 lawmakers who participated in the vote supported the lifting of martial law. Television footage showed soldiers who had been stationed at parliament leaving the site after the vote.
Hours earlier, TV footage showed police officers blocking the entrance of the National Assembly and helmeted soldiers carrying rifles in front of the building to restrict entrance to the building. Dozens of police patrol cars and riot police buses were assembled, the BBC reported.
“Open the gate, please. Your job is to protect the National Assembly. Why are you standing idly by while MPs are being trampled?” a middle-aged man shouted at a group of policemen guarding the gate.
An Associated Press photographer saw at least three helicopters, likely from the military, that landed inside the Assembly grounds, while two or three helicopters circled above the site.
The leader of Yoon’s conservative People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, called the decision to impose martial law “wrong” and vowed to “stop it with the people.” Lee, the opposition leader who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, called Yoon’s announcement “illegal and unconstitutional.”
Yoon said during a televised speech that martial law would help “rebuild and protect” the country from “falling into the depths of national ruin.” He said he would “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.”
“I will eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and normalize the country,” he said, while asking the people to believe in him and tolerate “some inconveniences.”
A White House National Security Council spokesperson told CBS News the Biden administration wasn’t notified of the martial law declaration in advance but it was in contact with the South Korean government and “is monitoring the situation closely.”
“We are seriously concerned by the developments we are seeing on the ground in the ROK,” the spokesperson said, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.
A White House official told CBS News that President Biden, who is traveling in Angola, has been briefed on the situation.
Washington stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to protect it from North Korea, its nuclear-armed neighbor.
“We are watching the recent developments in the ROK with grave concern,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said. “We have every hope and expectation that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.”
Yoon — whose approval rating has dipped in recent months — has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022.
Yoon’s party has been locked in an impasse with the liberal opposition over next year’s budget bill. The opposition has also attempted to pass motions to impeach three top prosecutors, including the chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, in what the conservatives have called a vendetta against their criminal investigations of Lee, who has been seen as the favorite for the next presidential election in 2027 in opinion polls.
Yoon has also dismissed calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife and top officials, drawing quick, strong rebukes from his political rivals. The Democratic Party reportedly called an emergency meeting of its lawmakers following Yoon’s announcement.
Yoon’s move is the first declaration of martial law since the country’s democratization in 1987. The country’s last previous martial law was in October 1979.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.