Attempted coup in South Korea

Attempted coup in South Korea: What’s happening in Seoul right now

The Daily Digest

Story by thedailydigest.com

 •  05/ 12/ 2024

Crisis in Seoul

South Korea is often seen from the outside as a modern, liberal democracy and one of Asia’s cultural and economic powerhouses, so nobody suspected it would enter into a political crisis overnight.

 

Martial law

It all began on December 2, when South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol appeared on national television for an unscheduled announcement to declare martial law to “crush anti-state forces that have been wreaking havoc”, as cited by the BBC.

 

North Korean sympathizers?

Yoon accused the Democratic Party, the main opposition faction in the country, among other things of being sympathizers of North Korea and  working to undermine his government.

 

The military and the police were deployed

The South Korean President also called for military rule, with soldiers and police officers deployed in the National Assembly building.

 

Changing his mind

However, a few hours later, it was apparent that what had been described as a coup attempt by Yoon had failed, forcing the President to rescind his decision.

 

Memories from the military junta©Provided by Showbizz Daily International

The move was the first time martial law had been decreed by the Seoul government since the early 1980s, bringing to mind some of the darkest chapters of South Korean history.

 

Taking to the streets

Al Jazeera writes that thousands of South Korean citizens went out to the streets to protest, with the memory of the time when the military junta ruled the country still present.

 

Pretty calm for a coup attempt

However, despite the heavy military presence surrounding the South Korean legislature, violence didn’t erupt between them and protestors.

 

Democracy, above all

Meanwhile, South Korean lawmakers managed to go through the barricades and vote against the martial law.

 

United against Yoon©Provided by The Daily Digest

In total, 190 South Korean lawmakers (out of 300) unanimously voted against the decree pushed by Yoon.

 

Across the aisle

The legislative condemnation of martial law was not only voted by people of the Democratic Party, the country’s main opposition force, but also representatives from Yoon’s own People’s Power Party.

 

Cabinet resignation

In the wake of the events, CNN reports that South Korea’s Minister of Defense, Kim Yong-hyun (center-right), presented his resignation after calls of impeachment for recommending the martial law.

 

Impeachment©Provided by The Daily Digest

According to CNN, six opposition South Korean political parties have introduced a bill to impeach Yoon, which will be voted later this week.

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