South Korea: Martial law was short lived but political crisis remains. What’s next?

On Tuesday night, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sent shockwaves through the world by declaring martial law in the country.

Yoon’s opponents in the National Assembly immediately sought to mass at the legislature to block the decree. This led to a dramatic confrontation with soldiers over control of the building.

However, in the early hours of Wednesday, sufficient numbers of South Korean legislators gained entry to the chamber. Of the 300 members, 190 made it inside, which is far more than the 150 needed for the vote to take place. They unanimously voted down the president’s order at around 1am.

Meanwhile, around the legislature, Yoon’s opponents continued to gather in a tense standoff with military.

By around 4.30am, armed forces had withdrawn and Yoon had publicly conceded that his attempt had failed. The order would be rescinded. It ended a short-lived but nevertheless major constitutional crisis of authority between the president and the National Assembly.

What is martial law

Martial law suspends key democratic freedoms, giving the military authority to exercise more powers in times of war or major threats to public safety.

A decree by Yoon’s newly empowered martial law commander, Army Chief of Staff General Park An-su, proclaimed:

[…] all political activities, including those related to the National Assembly, regional assemblies, political parties, the forming of political organisations, rallies and...

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