SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday reversed a decision to declare martial law and mobilize the army after six hours of chaos in the country.
Members of South Korea’s parliament quickly passed a resolution demanding that Yoon lift his order while protesters gathered outside the building to strike against Yoon’s decision.
“I have accepted the decision made by the National Assembly to dissolve and lift the martial law,” Yoon said around 4:30 a.m. local time Wednesday.
The reversal came six hours after Yoon declared martial law late Tuesday, accusing opposition parties of sympathizing with North Korea and controlling parliament.
“I am declaring a state of emergency in order to protect the constitutional order based on freedom and eradicate shameful pro-North Korea anti-state groups, that are stealing the freedom and happiness of our people,” Yoon said on a local news channel.
“While the imposition of martial law may cause significant inconvenience to the law-abiding citizens who uphold the constitutional values of the Republic of Korea, I will strive to minimize these disruptions,” he added.
The Biden administration declined to condemn the move but said the U.S. was not given advance notice of the order.
Officials from the White House, Pentagon, and State Department all said they were in close contact with their South Korean counterparts. President Joe Biden, who is traveling in Angola, was briefed on the matter.
“This is an incredibly fluid situation. I’m not going to jump to any conclusions at this point,” State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said. “Every hope and expectation is that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.”
“Right now there has been essentially no impact on U.S. forces,” Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder said.
It was the first time since 1980 that martial law has been declared in South Korea.
