On December 3rd, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a state of emergency, which lasted only over 6 hours. The military first entered the election department, and about an hour later, they proceeded to the parliament. The former defense minister who recommended the state of emergency to President Yoon stated that entering the election department was to investigate suspicions of election fraud.
In the 22nd National Assembly election in South Korea held in April this year, the largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, once again won a decisive victory with 175 seats, along with other opposition forces, totaling 192 seats, far more than the ruling party’s 108 seats. The dominant opposition party has been exerting strong influence on Yoon Suk-yeol’s administration since he took office.
Former South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and other right-wing figures have long raised evidence of exaggerated voter numbers and voter fraud in parliamentary elections, alleging that the opposition party won seats in parliament through election fraud. They also pointed out the influence of China and North Korea behind election fraud, urging President Yoon Suk-yeol to investigate.
Hwang Kyo-ahn had stated that election fraud is the biggest crisis facing South Korea, and the country stands at a crossroads of whether to move towards socialism (the so-called primary stage of communism).
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Central Election Management Committee stated that after Yoon Suk-yeol declared a state of emergency, around 300 military personnel were immediately deployed to the Guchuan Central Election Management Committee building, Suwon Election Training Institute, and Seoul Gwangok Building. More than 300 military personnel were deployed to the Election Management Committee, even more than the 280 military personnel who entered the parliament.
Kim Yongbin, the chief of staff of the Election Management Committee, stated at a parliamentary meeting that on the night of the declaration of the state of emergency, the military entered the Election Management Committee building at 10:30 pm, confiscated the phones of five night shift staff, and occupied the office for over 3 hours. He also mentioned that no items were taken out of the Election Management Committee during the state of emergency.
It was reported that over 280 military personnel had attempted to enter the parliament from midnight on the 3rd, more than an hour after entering the Election Management Committee.
Regarding the reason for instructing the military to enter the Election Management Committee, former South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yonghyun, who guided the state of emergency, told the SBS media that this was to assess whether it was necessary to investigate suspicions of election fraud at the Election Management Committee.
After President Yoon Suk-yeol lifted the state of emergency on the 4th, Kim Yonghyun had already tendered his resignation, which President Yoon Suk-yeol accepted on the 5th.
On the 4th, both Kim Yonghyun and Yoon Suk-yeol were accused of insurrection by the opposition party. On the 5th, the South Korean prosecutors imposed a travel ban on Kim Yonghyun.
Currently, President Yoon Suk-yeol is also facing impeachment by the opposition party. The largest opposition party, the Democratic Party, decided to vote on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol at the full parliamentary meeting on the 7th.
In response to President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of a state of emergency, Hwang Kyo-ahn wrote on Facebook on the 5th that as the head of the country, he could “fully understand” the President’s efforts to correct the chaotic state of the country through the state of emergency.
“As the President, by deploying the military to investigate the various misdeeds in various elections, especially targeting the Election Management Committee, which has consistently maintained an shameless attitude, the President’s actions hold significant meaning,” he said.
He also emphasized that the records of election fraud are still preserved at the Election Management Committee, and he hopes that an investigation will be conducted based on the relevant information obtained by the military to clarify whether the Democratic Party illegally entered parliament through election fraud.
Hwang Kyo-ahn served as the Prime Minister during the impeachment of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye and briefly served as acting President after Park Geun-hye was impeached.
Upon the parliament’s request on the 4th, President Yoon Suk-yeol announced the lifting of the state of emergency. However, he demanded that the parliament “immediately stop the repeated impeachment, monopolization of legislation, and budget control, which paralyze the country’s functions.”
Since then, President Yoon Suk-yeol has remained silent and has not made any public statements.
When President Yoon Suk-yeol delivered a speech at the Blue House in Seoul on the evening of December 3rd, he emphasized, “South Korea is at a level where collapse is not surprising at all, facing the fate of a flickering candle in the wind.” “In order to protect the Republic of Korea threatened by communist forces from North Korea, to eliminate the shameless pro-North forces that plunder the freedom and happiness of the South Korean people, uphold the order of liberal democracy, I declare a state of emergency.”
The announcement of the state of emergency by the South Korean government marks the first time since the democratization in 1987.
President Yoon Suk-yeol’s implementation of the state of emergency comes at a time when the opposition party continues to push for impeachment motions and forcefully deals with budget reductions, leading to a serious confrontation between ruling and opposition parties, escalating tensions in the political landscape. The opposition party currently holds the majority in the new parliament elected in June this year, with 300 seats out of 350 total seats.
President Yoon Suk-yeol criticized that the South Korean parliament has become a den of criminals, paralyzing the country’s judicial and administrative systems through legislative dictatorship, attempting to subvert the system of liberal democracy. He highlighted that while the parliament completely reduced funding for essential national functions, combating drug crimes, and maintaining public safety, it has made South Korea a heaven for drugs, causing a state of public safety panic.
In late November, the South Korean parliamentary budget settlement committee held a plenary session, and the opposition party unilaterally passed a budget cut proposal in the absence of ruling party members, a first in South Korea’s constitutional history. Unlike bills, once budget cut proposals are passed, the President cannot veto the budget.
The budget cut proposal passed that day reduced the government’s proposed budget by 41 trillion South Korean won (about 29 billion US dollars). However, due to strong opposition from the ruling party, the parliament decided to temporarily postpone the handling of the budget proposal.
President Yoon Suk-yeol also pointed out that the parliament threatened judges, impeached multiple prosecutors, paralyzed the judicial system, and tried to impeach officials in the Ministry of Administrative and Security, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, Inspector General, Minister of Defense, causing a governmental standstill.
Since the current government took office, the South Korean parliament has initiated 22 impeachment cases against government officials, with 10 cases being introduced after the election of new parliament members in June this year. President Yoon Suk-yeol stated, “This is an unprecedented situation in any country in the world.”
President Yoon Suk-yeol revealed that the Democratic Party, as the largest opposition party, uses budget proposals and impeachment motions as political tools with the sole purpose of protecting its leader Lee Jae-myung from prosecution. Lee Jae-myung is currently facing multiple trials.
He emphasized that such actions disrespect the constitutional order of the Republic of Korea, disrupt legitimate national institutions based on the constitution and laws, and are clear acts of planning insurrection against the state.
The presidential office of South Korea stated on the 4th regarding President Yoon Suk-yeol’s announcement to lift the state of emergency, “Some people believe that we did not follow the procedures of the state of emergency, but this was strictly carried out within the framework of the constitution.”
The South Korean Constitution stipulates that a state of emergency can be implemented in cases of war, turmoil, or equivalent national emergencies requiring military intervention to maintain social order.
Kim Taewoo, former director of the Unified Research Institute and professor of the Military Department at Kyeongyang University, stated on December 5th that he did not support the president’s decision to impose a state of emergency. However, he acknowledged that the President acted in response to the paralysis of the country due to continuous impeachment and budget cuts by the opposition party, deeming it a national emergency. He mentioned that the military deployed during this process did not carry live ammunition and cannot be considered an armed force, and the state of emergency was lifted according to the parliament’s request.
Army Chief of Staff Park An-su, who was appointed as the commanding general for the state of emergency, and Deputy Defense Minister Kim Sun-ho, who was acting defense minister, revealed the brief process of the state of emergency during the emergency questioning held by the Defense Committee in the South Korean parliament on the 5th. This does not include the process of the military entering the election department.
Park An-su and Kim Sun-ho both stated that former defense minister Kim Yonghyun commanded the entire state of emergency process, which they only knew later on.
President Yoon Suk-yeol delivered an emergency speech around 10:23 pm on the 3rd and declared the state of emergency. Around 7 minutes later, Kim Yonghyun convened a meeting of the main military commanders, appointing Park An-su as the commanding general for the state of emergency.
Police Chief George Ho stated during the questioning session that around 11:30 pm on the 3rd, he received a call from Park An-su requesting to “control the entire parliament.”
It was reported by Yonhap News Agency that over 280 military personnel had sought to enter the parliament from midnight on the 3rd, with 230 people entering via helicopters from the camp and over 50 climbing over the walls. Civilians and opposition party members had surrounded the parliament walls and main entrance with their bodies before the military arrived. During this process, physical confrontations occurred between the military and civilians.
Facing strong resistance, Army Special Operations Commander Kwak Jong-geun proposed the use of stun guns and blank rounds to Park An-su, which was rejected by Park An-su.
Around 1 am on the 4th, all 190 lawmakers present at the parliamentary session unanimously voted to request President Yoon Suk-yeol to immediately lift the state of emergency, surpassing the majority of total seats. President Yoon Suk-yeol announced the lifting of the state of emergency around 4:27 am. Following this, Kim Yonghyun told the commanders that they were outnumbered and requested a safe return.