South Korean President Lifts Martial Law after Opposition from Parliament

South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol announced Wednesday morning the lifting of martial law after the National Assembly (parliament) voted in favor of lifting these laws Tuesday evening.

"To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korean communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements I hereby declare emergency martial law," the president said in a statement carried by Yonhap news agency, adding, "This is an unavoidable measure to ensure the freedom and safety of the people and guarantee the sustainability of the nation against the unrest stirred by these subversive, anti-state elements."

However, there was a request from the National Assembly to lift martial law, so the troops that had been mobilized to enforce martial law were withdrawn.

Yoon reiterated his calls for the National Assembly to stop what he deemed as scandalous activities that crippled national functions, including attempts to impeach government officials.

For its part, the Korean Cabinet approved the proposal to lift martial law. The Chairman of the Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the forces that were mobilized to implement martial law returned to base in a move that restored a sense of normalcy.

After martial law was lifted, members of the opposition bloc stepped up their criticism of Yoon, with some even threatening to initiate a motion to impeach the president.

Yoon said the declaration of martial law was aimed at eliminating "anti-state forces," and accused the opposition of "paralyzing" the government with proposals to remove public officials and cut the proposed national budget.

(QNA)