South Korean president declares martial law in move against opposition party

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday, accusing the opposition of “anti-state” activity.

In an unannounced address broadcast live late at night on YTN, Yoon said he had no choice but to take drastic measures to protect South Korean freedoms and the constitutional order. He asserted opposition parties have taken the parliamentary process hostage and thrown the country into 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.

Hours later, the South Korean parliament voted 190-0 to lift the declaration. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik said that lawmakers “will protect democracy and the people” and called for police and military personnel to withdraw from the Assembly’s grounds, according to the Associated Press. 

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The White House did not immediately condemn the action by Yoon.

“The Administration is in contact with the Republic of Korea government and is monitoring the situation closely,” a National Security Council spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The U.S. was not notified in advance of this announcement. We are seriously concerned by the developments we are seeing on the ground in the ROK.”

Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the U.S. is observing the situation in South Korea with “grave concern.” 

“We are watching the recent developments in the ROK with grave concern,” Campbell said, using the acronym for Republic of Korea. “We’re seeking to engage our (South Korean) counterparts at every level, both here and in Seoul.”

He said U.S. President Biden, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were receiving updates on the martial law declaration as it developed. He emphasized that the U.S. alliance with South Korea remains “ironclad.” 

“We stand by Korea in their time of uncertainty. I also want to just underscore that we have every hope and expectation that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law,” he added. 

Yoon did not say in the address what specific measures would be taken. Yonha news agency reported that the entrance to the parliament building was being blocked. The agency also cited the military as saying activities by parliament and political parties would be banned, and that media and publishers would be under the control of the martial law command, Reuters reported. 

“Tanks, armored personnel carriers, and soldiers with guns and knives will rule the country,” opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said in a livestream online. “The economy of the Republic of Korea will collapse irretrievably. My fellow citizens, please come to the National Assembly.”

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The liberal Democratic Party has controlled South Korea’s single-chamber National Assembly since Yoon, a former top prosecutor, took office in 2022. Those in the opposition have repeatedly thwarted Yoon’s agenda and the president has had low approval ratings.

In his address, Yoon cited actions by the Democratic Party as justification for martial law, including an effort this week to impeach some of the country’s top prosecutors and the national assembly’s rejection of Yoon’s proposed budget. 

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Democratic lawmakers had moved to slash more than 4 trillion won from the Yoon administration’s budget proposal. Yoon said the budget cuts would undermine the essential functioning of government administration. 

“Our parliament has become a den for criminals. It has paralyzed the administrative and legal systems by ramming through (opposition-driven) legislations and is attempting to overthrow our democratic system,” Yoon said in his address. 

Yoon’s predecessor, Jae-in of the Democratic Party, posted on X that the country’s democracy is in crisis. “I hope that the National Assembly will act quickly to protect our democracy from crumbling,” he wrote. “I ask the people to join forces to protect and save democracy and to help the National Assembly function normally.”

Yoon was handed a blistering political defeat earlier this year when South Korean voters expanded the Democratic Party’s majority in the assembly. One South Korean political analyst told the Associated Press the election results rendered Yoon “a dead duck,” with even control over his own party at risk following the losses. 

The South Korean president has also been beset by scandal involving his wife, first lady Kim Keon Hee. She was allegedly involved in a stock price manipulation scheme and the release of spy camera footage showed her accepting a luxury bag from a Korean American pastor, the AP reported.

South Korean opposition parties rallied Saturday and called for Yoon to accept a special prosecutor to investigate the allegations of fraud made against his wife. 

In October, propaganda leaflets produced by North Korea that attacked Yoon and his wife were found scattered on the streets of Seoul, apparently carried across the border via balloon, Reuters reported. 

Tuesday’s declaration is the first time martial law has been invoked in South Korea since 1980. 

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Tobianski and the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.