Martial Law in South Korea: Confrontation between the President and Parliament amid the Growing Threat from the DPRK

3 December 2024 17:30

OPINION

Today, South Korean President Yun Suk-yol unexpectedly declared martial law in the country. According to CNN, the president accused the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, of anti-state activities.

The reason for this was the parliament’s rejection of the government’s budget proposal and attempts to impeach top prosecutors. The president said that the Democratic Party had turned the parliament into a den of criminals and the country into a drug paradise.

He also accused the Democratic Party of sympathizing with the DPRK.

According to the Yonhap News Agency, the country has banned all political activities, including parliamentary ones, and introduced censorship. Those who violate martial law can be arrested or searched without a warrant, according to the presidential decree.

"Komersant Ukrainian" asked political analyst Ruslan Bortnik to comment on these rapid developments.

Growing military threat from the DPRK

Bortnik explained that the domestic political situation in South Korea is quite unstable, but the reasons for the president’s move should be sought not only there. He reminds that the North Korean military is now directly involved in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“Today, North Korean troops are gaining special experience while on the territory of the Russian Federation and taking direct or indirect part in the Russian-Ukrainian war. By returning to the Korean peninsula, they are increasing the military threat to South Korea,”

– the political scientist believes.

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In addition, North Korea has access to modern Russian military technologies, which further enhances its capabilities.

“The DPRK can receive some modern Russian technologies, in particular in the field of submarine systems construction and much more. This changes the balance of power on the Korean peninsula,”

– Bortnik said.

Political motives for the escalation

According to the expert, South Korea takes into account the possibility of a deliberate provocation by the DPRK, which aims to put political pressure on the United States.

“South Korea considers the scenario of a politically motivated escalation by North Korea as an element of preparation for negotiations with Donald Trump to be likely. North Korea has always provoked an escalation to force the United States to make certain concessions. This is traditional North Korean diplomacy,”

– ruslan Bortnik emphasizes.

Meanwhile, events in Seoul are unfolding very quickly. Some media outlets claim that the parliament building has already been surrounded, and helicopters have landed on the roof. At the same time, the leader of the Democratic Party, which is opposed to the president, Lee Jae-myung, called for a united front to defend parliamentarism. He called the declaration of martial law “unconstitutional” and said that the parliament would try to annul the law.