New martial law rules after political crisis

South Korean lawmakers have voted to revise the rules around martial law, now barring any attempt to obstruct lawmakers from entering the National Assembly.

This comes after former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived martial law order last December, which plunged the country into a political crisis.

As military forces gathered in front of the the National Assembly that night, lawmakers had to scale the walls to vote down Yoon’s order.

The amendment on Thursday also bans the military and police from entering the National Assembly without the approval of its speaker.

Yoon declared martial law on 3 December 2024 as his political troubles grew, from parliamentary deadlock to corruption scandals.

He claimed that the shock move would protect the country from “anti-state” forces that sympathised with North Korea, but provided little evidence to support that.

The crisis shook South Korea, which had endured decades of military rule before holding democratic elections again in the late 1980s.

Senior officials in Yoon’s administration have been ousted and detained for their role in the December decision. Yoon himself was impeached and removed from office, and is now on trial for insurrection.

The months of political uncertainty left Yoon’s ruling People Power Party in disarray. A snap election in June saw the opposition’s Lee Jae Myung win the presidency.

At a press conference in Seoul on Thursday marking 30 days in office, Lee told reporters that his administration would seek better ties with North Korea – a departure from his predecessor, who maintained a tough stance on the Communist regime.

South Korean politics remains bitterly divided. When the parliament approved Lee’s pick for prime minister on Thursday, the vote was boycotted by Yoon’s party, which is now the main opposition.