Major U.S. media also paid attention to the situation in which President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an emergency martial law and lifted it within six hours. On the 3rd local time, the Washington Post (WP) said, “President Yoon declared and lifted martial law. Why?” In an article under the title, “At first, it was unclear whether President Yoon and the military would accept the National Assembly’s vote, but President Yoon made another public speech early Wednesday and said he would end martial law.”
He pointed out that the country brought up painful memories of its military governance in Korea before the country transitioned to democracy in the late 1980s.
“The order lasted only about six hours, but in Korea, known as an energy-rich democracy, this will have wide-reaching ramifications,” he predicted.
He also said, “President Yoon’s decision was a shock, but it was not a complete surprise,” adding that there were rumors about it before President Yoon declared martial law.
“Yoon won one of South Korea’s biggest close elections, but his approval rating plummeted due to the scandal, along with several (government) measures that seemed unnecessary,” the Washington Post said, referring to the background of Yoon’s declaration of martial law.
The New York Times (NYT) reported, “President Yoon withdrew the order within a few hours,” and “Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Seoul and demanded the president’s resignation.”
“The Yoon Suk Yeol government has lifted martial law that was declared during a tense night of political drama in which troops surrounded the National Assembly and lawmakers voted against military rule,” the Associated Press reported.
Regarding the background of President Yoon’s initial declaration of martial law, the news agency also introduced remarks by Sidney Seiler, a former U.S. National Intelligence Commission (NIC) North Korea official, saying, “It is a symbolic measure that expresses dissatisfaction with the opposition-controlled parliament.”
Former officer Seiler went on to say that President Yoon faced the possibility of impeachment, and this scenario was possible even before President Yoon made a bold move.
CNN said of Yoon’s lifting of martial law, “His U-turn comes as he faces massive united opposition” and “the opposition has triggered an outpouring of condemnation from the enthusiastic National Assembly, critics and the ruling party.”
Meanwhile, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in a question-and-answer article written by Victor Cha, the chair of Korea, that “President Yoon criticized the opposition party for interfering with its ability to govern as it is engaged in a “legislative dictatorship,” referring to the attempt to impeach (public officials) since taking office in May 2022.
After introducing the conflict between the opposition party and the ruling party, he said, “It is clear that North Korea will abuse the confusion for the purpose of propaganda (offensive) against the government in Yoon Suk Yeol.”
“The martial law was lifted early on the 4th, but President Yoon’s domestic viability is currently uncertain,” he said. “The National Assembly’s swift move to overturn the martial law declaration and the spread of street protests against the president with a 10% approval rating could lead to the (political) downfall of President Yoon.”
EJ SONG
US ASIA JOURNAL
