Expressing 'Regret' Over Martial Law Declaration
"Hope for Proper Resolution" Conveyed as a Request
Hong Jun-pyo, the mayor of Daegu, expressed regret over President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law, saying, "I regret whether there was no other way but that."
On the 4th, Mayor Hong wrote on his social media service (SNS), "I understand the loyalty, but it was a reckless midnight incident," and added, "I hope it will be well managed." He continued, "I have been worried for a month that it would flow like the eve of Park Geun-hye's impeachment, so I hope it will be well managed." Mayor Hong previously ran as the ruling party candidate in the early presidential election (the 19th presidential election) held due to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye.
Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo expressed regret over President Yoon Seok-yeol's declaration of martial law, saying, "I regret that there was no other way but to take such measures." Photo by Yonhap News
Earlier, around 10:25 p.m. the previous day, President Yoon announced through an emergency national address at the Yongsan Presidential Office, "I declare martial law to eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the free constitutional order." President Yoon said, "Through this martial law, we will rebuild and protect the Republic of Korea, which is falling into the abyss of national ruin," and added, "To this end, I will definitely eradicate the root cause of national ruin, the anti-state forces who have committed atrocities until now."
Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo expressed regret over President Yoon Seok-yeol's declaration of martial law, saying, "I regret if there was no other way but that." On the 4th, Mayor Hong wrote on his social media (SNS), "I understand the sincerity, but it was a reckless midnight incident," and added, "I hope it will be properly resolved." Hong Joon-pyo Facebook
He emphasized, "This is an inevitable measure to guarantee the people's freedom and safety, as well as the sustainability of the state, from the uprising of anti-state forces aiming to overthrow the system, and to hand down a proper country to future generations." Subsequently, the Martial Law Command issued the first proclamation across the Republic of Korea at 11 p.m. the previous night, stating, "All political activities including the activities of the National Assembly, local councils, political parties, political organizations, assemblies, and demonstrations are prohibited," and "Any acts denying or attempting to overthrow the liberal democratic system, as well as fake news, public opinion manipulation, and false agitation, are prohibited."
However, the National Assembly convened a plenary session around 1 a.m. that day and unanimously passed a resolution to lift the martial law declared by President Yoon. The Ministry of National Defense announced around 4 a.m., just before President Yoon's declaration to lift martial law, that "the emergency assembly at the Ministry of National Defense headquarters is lifted." Then, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced around 4:30 a.m. that "the troops deployed as of 4:22 a.m. have returned to their original units." Subsequently, President Yoon accepted the National Assembly's request and lifted martial law through a live broadcast address around 4:27 a.m., about six hours after declaring martial law.
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