South korea in turmoil: Opposition challenges martial law

The opposition leader in South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, announced that the parliament will take action to nullify the president's decision to impose martial law.

However, Lee warned that the military might try to arrest deputies, confirmed by Yonhap News Agency, which reported that the entrance to the parliament building has been blocked.

Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the Democratic Party, accused the president of making a decision that is unconstitutional. A similar stance was taken by Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the ruling People Power Party, who described the president's decision as a "mistake" and announced that he would block its implementation along with the people.

Yonhap News Agency reported that the defence minister ordered the military to remain on alert.

President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea announced during a Tuesday television speech the introduction of martial law in the country. He accuses the opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathizing with North Korea, and paralyzing the government through anti-state activities, writes the AP.

He admitted that this decision is "critical for the defence of the country's constitutional order".

Reuters notes that Yoon Suk-yeol did not clarify what steps would be taken concerning the declaration of martial law.

Meanwhile, a survey conducted on Friday showed that the approval rating for President Yoon Suk-yeol has dropped to 19 per cent, marking the lowest level since he took office in May 2022.

The survey conducted by the research agency Gallup Korea showed that the positive assessment of Yoon's performance dropped by 1 percentage point compared to the previous week, while his negative assessment reached a record level of 72 per cent, 2 per cent more than the previous week.

For the first time in history, Yoon's approval rating in Gallup's surveys fell below 20 per cent.

Source: PAP, WP News