• On December 3 at 10:25 p.m. (local time), South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivered a surprise message to the nation. At the fourth minute of his speech, he said, “Dear citizens, I declare martial law to protect the Republic of Korea from communist threats from North Korea and pro-North anti-state factions undermining our freedom and constitutional order.” He thus intended to “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional order of freedom” and “rebuilding and ’safeguarding’ the nation, which he described as facing significant challenges. Although this may cause “some inconvenience” to citizens, Yoon promised to “normalize” the country quickly, saying that the government remains committed to its foreign policy and will fulfill its responsibilities in the international community.

• President Yoon assured that the budget cuts demanded by the opposition would undermine the essential functions of the government, including drug crime prevention and public security measures, saying they have already pushed the country to become a “safe haven for drugs and left public security in a state of crisis.” According to him: “The National Assembly has become a haven for criminals, paralyzing the judicial and administrative systems and attempting to overthrow the free democratic system through legislative dictatorship.”

☞ Only one opposition MP, Kim Min-seok, had previously mentioned a possible coup attempt via the introduction of martial law. He had been considered a “conspiracy theorist” and his words had not been taken into consideration.

☞ 22 impeachment motions have been filed against government officials since they took office in May 2022. The opposition has launched 10 impeachment proceedings since the formation of the 22nd National Assembly in June.

• It does not appear that the United States was warned in advance of the president’s coup intentions.

• An executive order was immediately signed entrusting the command of martial law to Chief of Staff of the Army General Park An-su who issued a blanket ban on political activities, including demonstrations and political party activities.

• Online food shops and overnight shops were stormed by citizens who frantically ordered groceries.

• The Constitution provides that the National Assembly can lift martial law by a simple majority vote. That’s why, at around 11 p.m., National Assembly Chairman Woo Won-shik made an urgent appeal to lawmakers, saying, “All members of the National Assembly should meet immediately in the plenary hall.”

• 280 Special Forces soldiers equipped with assault rifles forced their way into the National Assembly building; an unprecedented step, marking the first such incident since the declaration of martial law with the assassination of dictator Park Chung-hee and the establishment of the Chun Doo-hwan dictatorship in 1979. Assembly staff tried in vain to prevent the entry of the soldiers as the parliamentarians began their session.

• Another 100 soldiers entered the premises of the National Election Commission in Gyeonggi. They seized the staff’s mobile phones and closed the exits.

• An arrest warrant was reportedly issued for well-known YouTuber Kim Ou-joon, who is very critical of President Yoon (this point has not been confirmed).

• Defying martial law, a crowd gathered in front of the Assembly headquarters in front of the army.

• Social networks were covered with false announcements of the arrest of personalities and ordinary citizens. They were immediately demystified by Internet users. On the contrary, the video of chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea Lee Jae-myung climbing a wall to enter the National Assembly building, was seen live by 2.38 million viewers.

• At around 1 a.m., two and a half hours after martial law was declared, a majority of deputies voted to repeal it.

• Soldiers who had invaded the National Election Commission evacuated it.

• President Yoon summoned his government to lift martial law, even though it had been imposed by the National Security Council. He said: “A Cabinet meeting has been called, but due to the early hour, quorum has not yet been reached. Martial law will be lifted as soon as a quorum is reached.”

• At around 4:20 a.m., three hours and twenty minutes after the Assembly’s vote, the government officially lifted martial law which, in the end, lasted only six hours.

• In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “We continue to expect for political disagreements to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law. We reaffirm our support for the Korean people and the US-South Korea alliance based on common principles of democracy and the rule of law.” The meeting of the Nuclear Advisory Group (NCG), which was to take place in Washington, has been cancelled indefinitely. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell strongly criticized President Yoon’s coup attempt.

Since the 1950s, 13,000 U.S. troops have been stationed in South Korea. The latter provided the third largest contingent during the war against Iraq after the USA and the United Kingdom. Last March, Seoul hosted the World Summit for Democracy.

• On December 4, at 6:20 p.m., about 10,000 people gathered at Gwanghwamun Station (Seoul). One banner read: “President Yoon must resign.” The crowd chanted “All power in the Republic of Korea comes from the people,” as in the 2016 protests that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye (dictator Park Chung-Hee’s daughter lived under the influence of a famous shaman).

• On December 5, six opposition parties, including the main Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) (majority with 170 seats out of 300), have tabled a bill to impeach President Yoon. According to the DPK: “The declaration of martial law violates both the procedural and substantive aspects of the Constitution and the law, by providing full grounds for removal. Yoon is the leader of a rebellion, as defined by our Constitution. As the leader of a rebellion, Yoon must immediately resign from the presidency. The impeachment vote is announced for December 7.”

☞ Since the constitution provides for a qualified majority and a two-thirds quorum to impeach the president, it would require at least eight deputies from his own party to approve his impeachment. If the impeachment motion passes, Yoon’s authority will be immediately suspended until the Constitutional Court makes a decision and prime minister Han Duck-so will assume the interim role.

• The parliamentarians consider that Minister of Defense General Kim Yong-hyun is the inspiration behind the coup attempt and that he has been preparing for it for three months. Many believe he should be sentenced to life in prison for treason. Some believe that Minister of the Interior Lee Sang-min was also complicit in the coup attempt, but his involvement has not been proven. Finally, some consider that President Yoon has fallen into madness.

• Top presidential aides, including Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk, National Security Adviser Shin Won-sik, and high-level secretaries, have tendered their resignations. Most of them say they were unaware that the president had planned to declare martial law.

• President Yoon’s former security chief General Kim Yong-hyun was just appointed defense minister on August 12. He submitted his resignation half an hour after the government lifted martial law, which was accepted by President Yoon, who replaced him with (until then) ambassador to Saudi Arabia Choi Byung-hyuk. Kim Yong-hyun, who is considered the main suspect in the coup attempt, was banned from leaving the country as soon as it became known that he was preparing to flee.

This is the editorial from our paywalled “Voltaire, international newsletter”, n°111. For more information, do not hesitate to subscribe: 500€ per year.