Summary (updated)

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late Tuesday to counter “anti-state” forces, accusing opposition lawmakers of pro-North Korean sympathies.

Parliament, controlled by the opposition, quickly voted to nullify the declaration, calling it unconstitutional.

Protesters and lawmakers denounced Yoon’s move as authoritarian, echoing South Korea’s pre-democracy era.

Military personnel withdrew following the vote, and Yoon promised to lift martial law after a Cabinet meeting.

Critics warned of democratic backsliding. This marks South Korea’s first martial law declaration since democratization in 1987.

  • @CanadaPlus
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    22 hours ago

    Yes, it sure is. In geopolitics there’s no actual binding rules, just threats and relationships.

    BBC is now reporting that the cabinet has lifted the martial law, which I assume means the immediate threat is over, without knowing how South Korean constitutional procedures work. There’s still a damn lot of “pieces to pick up”, though.

    • Jack
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      722 hours ago

      That should immediately end your turn as a president IMO.

      • @CanadaPlus
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        322 hours ago

        That’s pretty much what the parliamentarians are saying, it sounds like.