SEOUL, Dec 3 (Reuters) - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday declared martial law in an unannounced late night address broadcast live on YTN television.
Yoon said he had no choice but to resort to such a measure in order to safeguard free and constitutional order, saying opposition parties have taken hostage of the parliamentary process to throw the country into a crisis.
“I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order,” Yoon said.
He did not say in the address what specific measures will be taken.
Yoon cited a motion by the country’s opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, this week to impeach some of the country’s top prosecutors and its rejection of a government budget proposal.
edit: BBC live feed. This just broke an hour ago so they’re still gathering information: https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn38321180et
edit: Maybe it’s over? Per the BBC-
South Koreans celebrate as Yoon withdraws martial law troops - published at 12:43
Moments after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced he would lift the martial law people outside the National Assembly celebrated, the AFP news agency reports.
It adds that Yoon says martial law troops have withdrawn after the National Assembly voted to block his imposition of military rule.
ok i pull up
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awful approval rating
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elections a month away
Oh yeah, it’s martial law time
There are no elections in Ukraine because it’s a Democracy
Trvst Thv Plvn etc etc
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sort of a classic South Korean presidential move.
declare martial law, liquidate some people resistant to your fascist government and it’s openly corrupt business dealings, blame communists to the north for everything with zero evidence or logic, and maybe throw in a prayer/prophecy for the magic ghosts that your family’s right wing cult venerates.
haven’t seen it in a while, but sometimes you gotta return to those early fundamentals your entire bullshit fake client state was founded on.
I have a group chat with a couple of my former journeypeople who taught me the trade while i was an apprentice.
I sent this article to this chat with a dumb quip like “looks like south korea was the real north korea all along” i believe it was. This is the first response and what, i believe, will be the John Q. Public response to this.
I imagine it has to do with all the north sending troops to Ukraine and the impending ww3. But I didn’t read it, so I’ll just assume lol.
Our trade has a reputation for being dumb guys who do drugs (we’re not roofers, FYI) but when I read that I just sighed.
Glad it’s not just me who thinks roofers are dumb
I am friends with many roofers, roofers are fucking idiots
I love them tho, because they keep a roof over my head.
I do find it amazing what society has decided we can trust to people who are drunk and have been up for 3 days smoking meth and what we don’t. Putting up buildings, sure! Working a checkout counter, abso not!
making spreadsheets in a cubicle? unthinkable. making a delicious restaurant meal? necessary!
Which is crazy because meth would make you great for hyperfocusing on spreadsheets
making spreadsheets in a cubicle? unthinkable
When did they start drug testing white collar workers?
To my knowledge, you just had to clear the first one.
Iron workers are very important
Literally the coldest, least controversial opinion in the trades
I know multiple ticketed roofers who would agree wholeheartedly
I imagine it has to do with all the north sending troops to Ukraine and the impending ww3.
Pipe fitter? I kid, I kid.
Opposition party speaker had to climb fence to access parliament
moment
If martial law would be disruptive to their business model and if they have good connections in the opposition (which they surely do) this is how you get yourself executed by Samsung corporate security.
I heard the military noped out at the time I’m posting this comment.
The latest BBC report confirms it:
South Koreans celebrate as Yoon withdraws martial law troops - published at 12:43
Moments after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced he would lift the martial law people outside the National Assembly celebrated, the AFP news agency reports.
It adds that Yoon says martial law troops have withdrawn after the National Assembly voted to block his imposition of military rule.
I’m waiting for all the democracy lovers clutching their pearls about Georgia to chime in on this shit. Yup. Aaaaaaany minute now
Wacky how all these “democracies” under capitalism turn out to be anything but!
It’s okay because bad country is under martial law 365, so.
What if it was marital law and all adults were required to be married to Kim Jong Un in one big polycule
I’ve been joking about it, but here it is - the incel revolution.
Dominos meme of the teacher and it’s guys who don’t fuck … martial law imposed on the country.
Marital law
threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people,
Ok how the hell is DPRK “plundering the freedom and happiness” of SK?
Ok how the hell is DPRK “plundering the freedom and happiness” of SK?
They they exist at the border and are COMMUNIST
Fair point. Absolutely necessary.
they hate us for our freedoms 
The only appropriate response is to take away the freedom of all by declaring martial law. Cool and normal.
By offering an alternative to capitalist hell by its very existence
what did NK send them this time? more trash?
A second PPB 
leaflet from DPRK has been found.
It’s the usual South Korean right winger talk point that’s been regurgitated by them since 1949.
The people of SK were free and happy?
Seems to be more of a prolonged rut
https://thediplomat.com/2023/03/rich-south-korea-unhappy-koreans/
South Korea has the highest suicide rate and the lowest fertility rate among the 38 OECD member nations. The number of suicides in 2021 rose to 26 per 100,000 from 25.7 in the previous year. And the national fertility rate further fell to just 0.78 in 2022 from 0.81 in 2021, making South Korea the only nation with a fertility rate below 1.0 in contrast to an average overall fertility rate of 1.59 among OECD nations as of 2020.
Many young Koreans frequently cry out online: “Isaengmang,” an abbreviation of a Korean phrase literally meaning, “This life is ruined.”
“Freedom plundering” haha. Where are these so-called freedom stores that i may join in this “plunder”? I want that tang sizzlin on my tongue just once!
incel uprising?
I’m reading their Parliament just voted to block it. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.
According to the BBC the military are refusing to recognise parliament’s decision
SK cool zone not on my bingo card
“Only democracy in the extreme-east” kind of moment
So how big a deal is this? Like obviously its not a great look but was this the expected outcome/direction? From my spot thousands of miles away this reads like “You have made your decision…now enforce it.”
The power lies, as always, behind the barrel of a gun. If the military wants marital law it’s martial law they get. So long as they back the President there’s nothing the National Assembly can do.
Oh for sure, that isn’t In question. We’re all materialist here. My question (as I’m not super familiar with the state of South Korean politics) is: is the military ignoring a 190/0 vote and siding with the president an expected outcome here? Like is this a watershed moment or is it business as usual?
Ooohhhh I see, yeah in that regard I have no idea. I think it’s business as usual over a longer timespan given how often the military sided with reactionary dictators.
But now Yoon says he’ll call martial law off. It’s going back and forth.
Seems like military is dispersing, so
and straight to jail (hopefully)https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn38321180et?post=asset%3Acb5be5ba-c24f-462c-be58-5fa0b8de3dcc#post
Military says martial law will be maintained until lifted by president - published at 10:23
The South Korean military says it will maintain martial law until it is lifted by President Yoon Suk Yeol, despite the nation’s parliament voting to block its enforcement, according to the country’s national broadcaster.
It follows clashes between protesters and the security forces who tried to barricade the National Assembly.
A 190-0 vote to block it versus the support of the military (as of an hour ago).
so like, if it’s true, the military will just start arresting people?
Seems like that’s the event it’s building to. The parliament is apparently filled with special forces soldiers and they’re flying blackhawks over it.
That’s what a coup d’etat does, yes.
Seems fairly shoddily planned, 2/10 (1 for helicopters). Hope koreans lose their right vs right duopoly (metaphorically speaking, think they reassemble parties constantly) and get some socdems
Isn’t being left of Reagan illegal in Bad Korea?
you can’t say anything good about best korea, but dunno about “increasing salaries” or “higher taxes” or “decreasing working hours”
So what’s with this guy is he a right wing psycho? I doubt he pulls this without state department backing given that ROK hosts our biggest overseas base complete with waterslides
US backing a right wing coup in ROK to stimy even the mildest reforms would be very classico
He’s claiming the parliament are enemies of the state and pro-DPRK actors
yeltsin 2: sin free or yelt hard
Drink Hard with a Vengeance
Based if true, but in reality just not psychotic enough
We will see if they release a statement, silence or a non-committal response will say a lot
The US would have released a condemnation within a few minutes of the coup starting in a country that it was not allied to.
They’re “monitoring the situation” lol
