South Korean President Yun Suk-yeol declared "martial law" yesterday and accused the opposition, which controls parliament, of sympathizing with North Korea and blocking the government's activities with "anti-state actions". This is the main topic in the Western press this morning, BTA reported.
This decision by the South Korean president was condemned and challenged, writes the British newspaper "The Guardian". To many watching from afar, the sudden political chaos seemed to come out of nowhere, but South Korean Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Min-seok has warned in recent months that Yun is preparing to declare martial law, the publication explains. According to Korean analysts, concerns have grown after several key positions related to defense, counterintelligence and information about North Korea were filled by people who graduated from the same school as the president, notes "The Guardian".
Julian Borger of "The Guardian" wrote in his article that Yun's sudden introduction of martial law appears to be an act of desperation. "The short-term declaration of martial law appears to be a desperate move given his low approval ratings in the midst of a doctors' strike and strong political opposition, which is increasingly growing even within the ranks of his own party," Borger explained.
The American newspaper "The Wall Street Journal" wrote that South Korean conservatives have long accused the opposition of sympathizing with North Korea, but Yun, who took office in 2022. and became closer to President Biden, increasingly branded his political enemies as anti-state elements. The publication recalls that Yoon had previously accused opposition parties of blocking the parliamentary process and creating a threat to the constitutional order in the country.
The British publication "Financial Times" draws attention to the opinion of some analysts that the decision of the South Korean president puts his political future in serious danger and now the question arises whether Yoon will be able to serve out his full five-year term as president, which expires in 2027.
The newspaper quotes Leif-Erik Isley, a professor at "Ehwa" University in Seoul. "With extremely low approval ratings and no strong support within his own party, the president should know how difficult it will be to implement the decree he announced," Easley said.
The president stunned the country by declaring "martial law" - a risky power play that caused six hours of unrest and reminded of the military dictatorships that many South Koreans believe are history, the American newspaper "Washington Post" writes.
"He tried to take an extreme step that greatly confused Korean political culture," Darcy Drout, an expert on South Korean politics at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the publication. "The fact that parliament so quickly rejected his decision, including by votes from his own party, seriously damaged his authority as a leader," Drout added.
"Any use of force against citizens would be a tragic step backwards for a country that has worked so hard to defeat authoritarianism," Danny Russell, vice president of the Asia Society Institute for Policy, warned in an interview with the "Washington Post".
The American newspaper "New York Times" writes that a little more than two years after his election as president, the brief declaration of martial law has shocked South Koreans who had hoped that the turbulent era of military intervention in civil affairs was behind them.
The events that led to Yoon's stunning decision and his decision six hours later to rescind the decree after parliament voted to block it can be traced back to long before his victory, the publication writes, explaining that they were a dramatic illustration of South Korea's bitterly polarized politics and the deep public discontent beneath the surface of its growing global power.
Despite South Korea's rise in influence on the international stage - in business, film, television and music - staggering inequality is fueling discontent at home, comments the "New York Times".
The German magazine "Spiegel" notes that political discourse in South Korea is considered as divided as in the United States - anyone who takes a different political position is declared an enemy.
The publication notes that in South Korea this is known as "gladiator politics". When opposition leader Lee Jae-myeon was stabbed during an election campaign in January, many observers were shocked and wondered whether the heated political climate had radicalized the perpetrator, "Spiegel" adds, noting that the situation has not calmed down since then, but on the contrary - has become even more tense.