BBC "Cornered Yoon Declares Martial Law Amid Political Crisis"

English BBC Analyzes Yoon's Emergency Martial Law Declaration
"Involved in Scandals like Dior Bag and Stock Manipulation"
"Hastily Declared Martial Law Due to Political Issues"

On the 4th, when President Yoon Suk-yeol lifted the declaration of martial law, a citizen was watching news coverage related to the martial law situation in the Seoul Station waiting room. Photo by Yonhap News

President Yoon Suk-yeol's sudden declaration of martial law on the night of the 3rd was lifted at 4:30 a.m. on the 4th, and the British BBC broadcast analyzed this as "a situation caused by a sense of political crisis."

On the 4th (local time), the British BBC aired an article titled "Why the South Korean President Suddenly Declared Martial Law," covering President Yoon's martial law declaration incident. The outlet stated, "The South Korean president shocked the nation by declaring martial law in an Asian democracy for the first time in nearly 50 years on Tuesday night," and analyzed, "He hastily declared martial law not due to an external threat but because of his own cornered situation." It also cited observers saying, "The president acted desperately as if he was surrounded," explaining that "his sense of political crisis caused this incident."

BBC reported, "In President Yoon's bold move announced through a late-night TV broadcast, 'anti-state forces' and threats from North Korea were mentioned," but added, "It became clear that this was caused not by external threats but by his own political problems." In particular, it noted, "President Yoon has taken a much tougher stance on North Korea compared to his predecessors," and reported that "he declared martial law by portraying the opposition party as sympathizers of North Korea without evidence."

Furthermore, BBC explained, "President Yoon's approval rating fell to 17% amid various scandals, including his wife Kim Keon-hee's Dior bag controversy and stock manipulation cases," adding, "He issued an apology last month and said he would establish a second secretariat to oversee his wife's affairs, but refused the investigation (special prosecutor) demanded by the opposition." It continued, "The opposition proposed cutting major government budgets that the president cannot veto and attempted to impeach the head of the Board of Audit and Inspection and senior prosecutors who conducted inadequate investigations into Mrs. Kim." Additionally, it noted, "The last martial law in South Korea was in 1979, and it has never been enforced since the country became a parliamentary democracy in 1987."

According to BBC, experts foresee that this incident could damage South Korea's reputation as a democratic nation more than the riot that occurred in the United States on January 6. Citing Professor Rafe Eric Easley of Ewha Womans University’s Department of International Studies, they reported, "President Yoon's declaration of martial law appears to be a legal abuse and political miscalculation that unnecessarily endangers South Korea's economy and security."