South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law on Tuesday. In an unannounced live televised address to the nation, the president said that the move is necessary to protect the country.
"To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea's communist forces and to eliminate antistate elements, ... I hereby declare emergency martial law," he said.
"With no regard for the livelihoods of the people, the opposition party has paralyzed governance solely for the sake of impeachments, special investigations and shielding their leader from justice," he added.
Lee Jae-Myung, leader of the opposition Democratic Party, warned that "tanks, armored personnel carriers and soldiers with guns and knives will rule the country."
"The economy of the Republic of Korea will collapse irretrievably," he said in a livestream online. "My fellow citizens, please come to the National Assembly."
The Democratic Party ordered its lawmakers to hold talks "to apparently discuss and begin the necessary procedures for lifting the martial law," South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
While unrest and uncertainty continue in South Korea, here's what we know about President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Yoon Suk Yeol, a member of the conservative People Power Party, has served as South Korea's president since 2022.
His victory was narrow, defeating Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung by less than one percentage point. Before entering politics, Yoon was a political outsider, dedicating 27 years to his career as a prosecutor.
Born in Seoul, Yoon Suk Yeol attended Seoul National University. As chief of the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office, he was instrumental in securing convictions against former presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak on charges of abuse of power.
In 2019, President Moon Jae-in appointed Yoon as South Korea's prosecutor general. During his tenure, the Supreme Prosecutor's Office led high-profile investigations into Cho Kuk, a prominent figure in the Moon administration, resulting in Cho's resignation as minister of justice.
As president, Yoon Suk Yeol has faced persistently low approval ratings. His administration has been marked by significant crises, including the 2022 Seoul Halloween crowd crush and the ongoing 2024 South Korean medical crisis.
Critics have accused Yoon of presiding over democratic backsliding and the resurgence of authoritarian tendencies in South Korea. His political standing suffered a substantial blow when his party suffered a landslide defeat in the 2024 parliamentary elections, leaving his authority significantly diminished.
