South Korea’s Yoon faces impeachment after martial law blunder: ‘political suicide’

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s brief, ill-conceived imposition of martial law is expected to mark the end of his political career and deal a huge blow to traditional conservative forces in the country, political analysts warn.

The turmoil erupted late on Tuesday with the issuance of Martial Law Decree No 1 by Army Chief of Staff Park Ahn-soo, Yoon’s martial law commander, which effectively suspended all political activities and banned protests nationwide.

What followed was a swift unravelling: within just six hours, despite a police blockade, 190 out of 300 lawmakers defied the decree and converged on the National Assembly to unanimously pass a resolution demanding an immediate end to martial law.

As armed special forces dispatched to the site attempted to assert control, hundreds of furious protesters formed a human barricade, preventing troops from entering the Assembly building. Thousands more demonstrators gathered outside, shouting for Yoon’s arrest.

“The reckless, unpopular president has effectively committed political suicide,” said Kang Won-taek, a political- science professor at Seoul National University, capturing the sentiment of a nation in disbelief.

Few South Koreans could comprehend such an “abrupt and anachronistic” action, Kang told This Week in Asia.