The Last Straw in Seoul

At midnight on December 3, an "earthquake" shook South Korea after President Yoon Suk Yeol unexpectedly declared a state of emergency. Although the decree was revoked just six hours later, these dramatic developments once again showed that the politics of the kimchi country is full of unpredictable uncertainties.

President Yoon Suk Yeol suddenly declared martial law on the night of December 3. (Source: Yonhap)

The action does more harm than good.

Explaining the need to issue this sudden decree, President Yoon Suk Yeol said that the Democratic Party (DP), the main opposition party in the National Assembly, was making moves that could benefit North Korea and was carrying out activities against the state. To prevent the situation from getting out of control, the President's decree banned protests and activities of political parties, and required all media to be placed under military control.

Immediately after the decree was issued, the army and police were deployed around the National Assembly building, on the streets of Seoul and at important locations. A stifling atmosphere covered the capital. Many Koreans thought that a gloomy period was coming...

However, in the early morning of December 4, President Yoon himself had to declare the lifting of martial law at the request of the National Assembly, which the DP controlled a majority of the seats. Among those who opposed martial law and sided with the opposition were also lawmakers from President Yoon Suk Yeol's People Power Party (PPP).

Speaking on the evening of December 3 when declaring martial law, Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol "accused" the opposition in the National Assembly, accusing them of establishing a "legislative dictatorship" by blocking and cutting the Government 's budget proposal. These actions, according to the Blue House boss, have paralyzed the Korean judiciary, weakened the essential functions of the state, turned the country into a paradise for drug criminals while the people face a livelihood crisis.

Simmering conflict

Yoon Suk Yeol's statement reflects the tension between his administration and the DP. In fact, the fire of confrontation between the DP and the PPP has been simmering for a long time, especially since the 2022 election. In this election, Yoon Suk Yeol won against his opponent Lee Jae Myung of the DP by about 240,000 votes. This victory was a bitter pill for the DP, turning them from the ruling party (President Moon Jae In of the DP was in power from May 2017 to May 2022) to the opposition party.

However, despite being the opposition, the DP holds the majority of seats in the National Assembly. The gap in seats in the National Assembly was further widened when the DP won a landslide victory in the April 2024 election with 161/254 seats while the PPP only held 90 seats. Because of this, the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol has faced one obstacle after another in the National Assembly in issues of budget, state management, law, tax reform, etc., making it impossible for him to realize his campaign commitments.

More importantly, the DP also advocates flexibility with Pyongyang while South Korea's 13th president has taken a tough stance on its northern neighbor and moved closer to Washington.

However, the DP's control of the National Assembly and its constant attempts to obstruct the ruling party are just the tip of the iceberg. Deeper still, there is political competition between parties to consolidate their positions, paving the way for party members to continue staying in the Blue House.

The current South Korean Constitution stipulates that each elected president can only serve one term, no more than five years. Therefore, to maintain the ruling power of the party, presidents always try to strengthen their prestige and pave the way for candidates of the same party while finding loopholes to criticize the opponent to gain the upper hand, especially when the election is coming.

South Korean people protest in Seoul, December 4. (Source: Yonhap)

Unwanted scenario

This fierce competition causes the parties to always have tit-for-tat moves, as Professor Cho Youngho at Sogang University (South Korea) likened that Korean politics "is a gladiator arena".

Observers say President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law was the last straw after a period of tension between his administration and the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

Although martial law was quickly lifted, President Yoon's "reluctant" action was a good opportunity for opposition lawmakers and even some PPP lawmakers to criticize Yoon Suk Yeol. They took this opportunity to show their attitude to voters that they always listen to the people's opinions to keep their seats for the next election.

According to Yonhap, not only did the DP side force the curfew to be lifted, it also demanded that the current President resign immediately. They argued that if Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol refused, his "unconstitutional" actions on the night of December 3 would constitute treason, incitement of rebellion, and that would be the basis for initiating impeachment proceedings leading to his removal from office. Not only the opposition side, on the morning of December 4, senior advisors to President Yoon also submitted their resignations en masse to express their stance.

The South Korean National Assembly currently has 300 seats, of which the DP controls more than 170, enough to initiate impeachment proceedings. Meanwhile, 18 lawmakers from the ruling PPP, including its leader, sided with the opposition in passing a resolution demanding that President Yoon lift martial law.

This shows that President Yoon Suk Yeol may have to face a "ten-sided ambush" situation, facing two scenarios, neither of which is what he wanted when he declared martial law: Resign or face impeachment.

Both scenarios involve the opposition pressuring President Yoon Suk Yeon and forcing him to step down from his position as Blue House chief. Let's see how Yoon and his allies resolve this conundrum!

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/korean-president-announces-emergency-state-of-water-dispersal-in-seoul-295731.html