SEOUL, Dec 3 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday declared martial law in an unannounced late night address broadcast live on YTN television.

Yoon said he had no choice but to resort to such a measure in order to safeguard free and constitutional order, saying opposition parties have taken hostage of the parliamentary process to throw the country into a crisis.

"I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order," Yoon said.

He did not say in the address what specific measures will be taken.

Yoon cited a motion by the country's opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, this week to impeach some of the country's top prosecutors and its rejection of a government budget proposal.

edit: BBC live feed. This just broke an hour ago so they're still gathering information: https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn38321180et

edit: Maybe it's over? Per the BBC-

South Koreans celebrate as Yoon withdraws martial law troops - published at 12:43

Moments after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced he would lift the martial law people outside the National Assembly celebrated, the AFP news agency reports.

It adds that Yoon says martial law troops have withdrawn after the National Assembly voted to block his imposition of military rule.

  • BobDole [none/use name]
    ·
    1 day ago
    1. awful approval rating

    2. elections a month away

    Oh yeah, it’s martial law time

  • came_apart_at_Kmart [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    1 day ago

    sort of a classic South Korean presidential move.

    declare martial law, liquidate some people resistant to your fascist government and it's openly corrupt business dealings, blame communists to the north for everything with zero evidence or logic, and maybe throw in a prayer/prophecy for the magic ghosts that your family's right wing cult venerates.

    haven't seen it in a while, but sometimes you gotta return to those early fundamentals your entire bullshit fake client state was founded on.

  • Acute_Engles [he/him, any]
    ·
    1 day ago

    I have a group chat with a couple of my former journeypeople who taught me the trade while i was an apprentice.

    I sent this article to this chat with a dumb quip like "looks like south korea was the real north korea all along" i believe it was. This is the first response and what, i believe, will be the John Q. Public response to this.

    I imagine it has to do with all the north sending troops to Ukraine and the impending ww3. But I didn't read it, so I'll just assume lol.

    Our trade has a reputation for being dumb guys who do drugs (we're not roofers, FYI) but when I read that I just sighed.

  • Utter_Karate [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    1 day ago

    If martial law would be disruptive to their business model and if they have good connections in the opposition (which they surely do) this is how you get yourself executed by Samsung corporate security.

    • happybadger [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      1 day ago

      The latest BBC report confirms it:

      South Koreans celebrate as Yoon withdraws martial law troops - published at 12:43

      Moments after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced he would lift the martial law people outside the National Assembly celebrated, the AFP news agency reports.

      It adds that Yoon says martial law troops have withdrawn after the National Assembly voted to block his imposition of military rule.

  • TankieTanuki [he/him]
    ·
    edit-2
    1 day ago

    Opposition party speaker had to climb fence to access parliament

    guaido-despair moment

    Show

  • nohaybanda [he/him]
    ·
    1 day ago

    I’m waiting for all the democracy lovers clutching their pearls about Georgia to chime in on this shit. Yup. Aaaaaaany minute now

    blob-no-thoughts

      • buh [she/her]
        ·
        1 day ago

        What if it was marital law and all adults were required to be married to Kim Jong Un in one big polycule

  • Evilphd666 [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    1 day ago

    threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people,

    Ok how the hell is DPRK "plundering the freedom and happiness" of SK?

    • huf [he/him]
      ·
      1 day ago

      what did NK send them this time? more trash?

      • Evilphd666 [he/him, comrade/them]
        ·
        1 day ago

        Seems to be more of a prolonged rut

        Show

        https://thediplomat.com/2023/03/rich-south-korea-unhappy-koreans/

        South Korea has the highest suicide rate and the lowest fertility rate among the 38 OECD member nations. The number of suicides in 2021 rose to 26 per 100,000 from 25.7 in the previous year. And the national fertility rate further fell to just 0.78 in 2022 from 0.81 in 2021, making South Korea the only nation with a fertility rate below 1.0 in contrast to an average overall fertility rate of 1.59 among OECD nations as of 2020.

        Many young Koreans frequently cry out online: “Isaengmang,” an abbreviation of a Korean phrase literally meaning, “This life is ruined.”

    • the_post_of_tom_joad [any, any]
      ·
      edit-2
      1 day ago

      "Freedom plundering" haha. Where are these so-called freedom stores that i may join in this "plunder"? I want that tang sizzlin on my tongue just once!

  • plinky [he/him]
    ·
    1 day ago

    Show

    so like, if it's true, the military will just start arresting people?

      • plinky [he/him]
        ·
        edit-2
        1 day ago

        Seems fairly shoddily planned, 2/10 (1 for helicopters). Hope koreans lose their right vs right duopoly (metaphorically speaking, think they reassemble parties constantly) and get some socdems inshallah

          • plinky [he/him]
            ·
            1 day ago

            you can't say anything good about best korea, but dunno about "increasing salaries" or "higher taxes" or "decreasing working hours"

    • happybadger [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      1 day ago

      Seems like that's the event it's building to. The parliament is apparently filled with special forces soldiers and they're flying blackhawks over it.

  • GoodGuyWithACat [he/him]
    ·
    1 day ago

    I'm reading their Parliament just voted to block it. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

      • Pili [any, any]
        ·
        1 day ago

        "Only democracy in the extreme-east" kind of moment

      • Ericthescruffy [he/him]
        ·
        1 day ago

        So how big a deal is this? Like obviously its not a great look but was this the expected outcome/direction? From my spot thousands of miles away this reads like "You have made your decision...now enforce it."

        • thethirdgracchi [he/him, they/them]
          ·
          1 day ago

          The power lies, as always, behind the barrel of a gun. If the military wants marital law it's martial law they get. So long as they back the President there's nothing the National Assembly can do.

          • Ericthescruffy [he/him]
            ·
            1 day ago

            Oh for sure, that isn't In question. We're all materialist here. My question (as I'm not super familiar with the state of South Korean politics) is: is the military ignoring a 190/0 vote and siding with the president an expected outcome here? Like is this a watershed moment or is it business as usual?

            • thethirdgracchi [he/him, they/them]
              ·
              1 day ago

              Ooohhhh I see, yeah in that regard I have no idea. I think it's business as usual over a longer timespan given how often the military sided with reactionary dictators.

    • plinky [he/him]
      ·
      1 day ago

      Seems like military is dispersing, so d20-ah-fuck and straight to jail (hopefully)

    • happybadger [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      1 day ago

      https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn38321180et?post=asset%3Acb5be5ba-c24f-462c-be58-5fa0b8de3dcc#post

      Military says martial law will be maintained until lifted by president - published at 10:23

      The South Korean military says it will maintain martial law until it is lifted by President Yoon Suk Yeol, despite the nation's parliament voting to block its enforcement, according to the country's national broadcaster.

      It follows clashes between protesters and the security forces who tried to barricade the National Assembly.

      A 190-0 vote to block it versus the support of the military (as of an hour ago).