South Korea's opposition battles martial law decree
The leader of the South Korean opposition, Lee Jae-myung, has announced an attempt to nullify the president's decision on martial law. He warned, however, that the military might try to arrest members of parliament. According to Yonhap News Agency, access to the parliament building has been blocked.
The opposition leader in South Korea, Lee Jae-myung, stated that the parliament will take steps to overturn the president's decision to impose martial law.
Nonetheless, Lee cautioned that the military might attempt to detain MPs, as confirmed by Yonhap News Agency, which reports that the entrance to the parliament building has been closed off.
Martial law in South Korea: The position of the opposition
Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the Democratic Party, accused the president of making a decision that is unconstitutional. The leader of the ruling People Power Party, Han Dong-hoon, shared a similar sentiment, describing the president's decision as a "mistake" and declaring that he would join with the people to block its implementation.
Yonhap News Agency has reported that the defence minister has instructed the military to remain on alert.
Martial law in South Korea: The president has not provided details
President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea announced during a television address on Tuesday the introduction of martial law in the country. According to a source cited by AP, he accused the opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathising with North Korea, and paralysing the government through anti-state activities.
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 specific actions would be taken following the declaration of martial law.
The lowest approval for Yoon Suk-yeol since taking office
Meanwhile, a survey conducted on Friday revealed that the approval rating for President Yoon Suk-yeol has dropped to 19 per cent, marking the lowest level since he assumed office in May 2022.
The survey, conducted by the research agency Gallup Korea, showed that the positive assessment of Yoon's performance decreased by 1 percentage point compared to the previous week, while his negative assessment reached a record level of 72 per cent, 2 per cent higher 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
