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South Korean president declares martial law

Opposition calls lawmakers to parliament as Yoon pledges to ‘eliminate anti-state forces’

ft.com

South Korea’s conservative president Yoon Suk Yeol has declared martial law, accusing the left-wing bloc that controls the national assembly of North Korean sympathies and plotting rebellion. Yoon, a hardline former chief prosecutor, said in a late night television address on Tuesday that he would “eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and normalise the country”. The martial law declaration also bans “all political activities, including those of the National Assembly, local councils, political parties”, and demonstrations. It adds that “all media and publications will be subject to the control of the Martial Law Command”. Yoon pledged to “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order”, but did not elaborate on how martial law would be enforced. He asked the South Korean people to believe in him and tolerate “some inconveniences” as he accused the opposition of plotting rebellion. In response, opposition leaders called lawmakers to parliament and denounced the declaration of martial law as unconstitutional.