BANGKOK, Thailand (4 December 2024) – The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) is deeply concerned over the South Korean President¡¯s declaration of martial law, which was in effect for six hours.
Although the president reversed the order following the National Assembly¡¯s majority vote to reject the declaration, this action significantly undermines democracy and rule of law in the country.
What happened
On 3 December 2024, President Yoon Seok Yeol declared emergency martial law in an attempt to freeze the majority-opposition parliament, accusing them of sympathizing with North Korea and engaging in anti-state activities.
The martial law command bans all political activities, prohibits acts against the liberal democratic system, controls media, prohibits strikes and public demonstrations, requires protesting medical personnel to return to work, and minimizes inconvenience for citizens not involved in subversive activities. Violators face arrest, detention, and searches without a warrant.
Immediately after the declaration, network outages affecting the internet and major social media applications in South Korea reportedly took place.
Two and a half hours later, the National Assembly swiftly voted–190 in favor out of 300 members–to lift the emergency martial law, as granted by the Constitution for parliament to revoke martial law through majority vote.
Meanwhile, people gathered outside the National Assembly, protesting against martial law and calling for its immediate removal. On 4 December 2024, the president officially reversed the martial law order. On the same day, Members of Parliament proceeded with the impeachment motion against President Yoon SeokYeol over his attempt to impose martial law.
Under Article 77 of the South Korean Constitution, martial law can be declared during ¡°wartime, war-like situations or other comparable national emergency states.¡± It is unclear whether President Yoon Seok Yeol¡¯s justification, citing alleged subversive activities, meet such legal requirements.
Call to action
The move to declare martial law and the attempt to seize and suspend the function of the National Assembly are part of a disturbing trend that many Asian authoritarian leaders have taken in recent times.
The measures imposed under martial law severely restrict freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly as well as press freedom and other fundamental rights, with citizens facing arrest, detention, and searches without warrants, further breaching human rights standards.
¡°FORUM-ASIA is in solidarity with the people of South Korea in striving for democracy and human rights for all. We deplore the use of martial law as a repressive lawfare to suppress fundamental freedoms, opposition, and dissent. This action undermines democracy, threatens constitutional order, and violates international human rights law,¡± said Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA.
FORUM-ASIA urges the international community to closely monitor the situation and to express solidarity with the people of South Korea.
Download the PDF version of this statement here.