South Korean president’s martial law declaration a ‘blunder,’ could embolden North Korea, expert says

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s surprising short-lived move to declare martial law, which drew condemnation from opposition lawmakers, to root out “anti-state” forces was a “blunder” and possibly an attempt to “reassert himself,” an expert says. 

Opposition parties moved Wednesday to impeach the president, which would require the support of two-thirds of the 300-seat parliament and at least six justices of the nine-member constitutional court. A motion to impeach was submitted by the liberal opposition Democratic Party and five smaller opposition parties and could be put to a vote as early as Friday. 

“I think he was trying, even desperately, to reassert himself to tell his domestic foes that he’s the man in charge and there will be consequences for the efforts by the opposition parties to stifle Yoon’s many reform programs,” Sung-Yoon Lee, a global fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington D.C., and author of “The Sister: North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, the Most Dangerous Woman in the World,” told Fox News Digital. 

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“But I think it was a blunder, possibly a legal breach, and certainly, something akin to an own goal politically,” he added, referring to the notion of something that one does thinking it will help him or her but actually causes one harm.

The martial declaration lasted only six hours but sent shockwaves through the country, as it hearkened back to South Korea’s past military-backed governments when authorities occasionally proclaimed martial law and other decrees that allowed them to station soldiers, tanks and armored vehicles on streets or at public places such as schools to prevent anti-government demonstrations.

People hold candles during a candlelight vigil against South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea after he declared martial law.  (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

The country achieved democracy in the late 1980s. No major violence was reported, and martial law was lifted after lawmakers rejected the move in a 190-0 vote. 

In a speech announcing the declaration, Yoon vowed to eliminate anti-state forces while accusing the opposition of sympathizing with North Korea. The North, a totalitarian-run state, will use what happened in the South to its benefit, Lee said. 

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People watch a TV screen showing South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s televised briefing at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

“I’m sure the North Korean leadership is sharpening its knives right now,” he said. “It would be very atypical, unusual for North Korea just to sit around and allow this kind of sensational, breathtaking crisis in South Korea to go to waste.”

Lee expects the North to issue provacative statements, resort to hostile acts and blame Yoon for its own “belligerence” and argue that the backlash against him is a reaction to his hostility toward his northern neighbor. 

If Yoon is impeached, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who holds the No. 2 position in the South Korean government, would take over presidential responsibilities. Presently, the constitutional court has only six justices following three retirements, meaning all six would have to vote in favor of impeachment to oust Yoon from office. 

Four of the six justices are Yoon appointees. 

In this photo taken on May 9, 2023, South Korean soldiers walk at the truce village of Panmunjom in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea, with a view of North Korea’s Panmon Hall in the background. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)

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“It remains to be seen whether the constitutional court, if we come to that point, will actually endorse, authorize impeachment and the ouster of President Yoon, but it’s a possibility,” Lee said. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.