South Korea’s president has declared emergency martial law, sparking protests in parliament

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared “emergency martial law” on Tuesday, accusing the country’s opposition of controlling parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government with anti-government activities. The announcement drew hundreds of protesters to South Korea’s parliament.

“In order to protect a free South Korea from the threats posed by the North Korean communist forces and to eradicate anti-national elements… I hereby declare emergency martial law,” Yoon said in a live televised address to the nation.

“Without regard for people’s lives, the opposition party has suspended the government just because they want to be charged, a special investigation, and to protect their leader from justice,” he added.

South Korea’s National Assembly was closed on Tuesday after Yoon’s announcement, Yonhap news agency reported. Helicopters were seen descending from the roof of a building in Seoul, in live television videos broadcast by broadcasters.

Hundreds of people gathered at South Korea’s parliament early Wednesday to protest, according to live footage.

“Please open the gate, your job is to protect the National Legislature. Why are you doing nothing when members of Parliament are being trampled on?” a middle-aged man shouts to a group of policemen guarding the gate.

Yoon did not say what measures would be taken, the BBC reported, but military chief Park An-su said in a statement that all political activities had been banned and all media outlets would be monitored by the government.

“All political events, including those of the National Assembly, local councils, political parties, political parties, and mass meetings and demonstrations are strictly prohibited,” he said, adding: “All media and publications will be controlled. of the Martial Law Command.”

The military also said that the country’s doctors who are on strike must return to work within 48 hours, Yonhap said. Thousands of doctors have been on strike for months because of government plans to increase the number of students in medical schools.

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.” Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, called Yoon’s announcement “illegal and unconstitutional.”

A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told CBS News that the Biden administration is in contact with the South Korean government and is “monitoring the situation closely.”

The dramatic move comes as Yoon’s People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party continue to clash over next year’s budget bill. Last week, opposition lawmakers approved a much-reduced budget plan through a parliamentary committee.

“Our National Legislature has become a den of criminals, a den of tyranny that seeks to cripple the judicial and administrative systems and destroy our democratic freedoms,” said Yoon.

Yoon – whose approval rating has declined in recent months – has struggled to achieve his goals against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022.

Yoon’s conservative People Power Party has been locked in a dispute with the opposition Democratic Party over next year’s budget bill. He has also rejected calls for an independent investigation into scandals involving his wife and senior officials, drawing swift and strong rebuke from his political rivals.

The Democratic Party is reported to have called an emergency meeting of its lawmakers following Yoon’s announcement.

Yoon accused opposition lawmakers of cutting “all important budgets for the nation’s core activities, such as fighting drug crime and maintaining public safety… turning the country into a drug lab and a state of public safety chaos.”

Yoon went on to label the opposition, which holds a majority in the 300-member parliament, as “anti-government forces intent on a coup” and called his decision “inevitable.”

“I will return the country to normalcy by removing the anti-government forces as soon as possible.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.