Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) reportedly posted and then deleted a message that appeared to endorse President Yoon Suk-yeol's declaration of martial law, sparking controversy.
According to Taiwanese media outlets such as United Daily News and Liberty Times on the 5th, DPP legislators posted on social media threads that "amid the South Korean National Assembly being controlled by pro-North forces, President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law on the 3rd through an emergency address to eradicate pro-North elements and protect the free constitutional order."
They also expressed opinions seemingly defending the legitimacy of the martial law declaration by stating that Taiwan's own Legislative Yuan's main opposition parties, the Kuomintang and the People First Party, have cut various defense budgets and unconstitutionally expanded their power to block national security-related proposals.
Upon hearing this news, suspicion spread among Taiwan's opposition parties that the ruling party might be supporting martial law. Some Taiwanese netizens also expressed 'supportive intentions,' saying, "Shouldn't Taiwan also be able to (declare martial law) like South Korea?" As the controversy grew, the DPP reportedly hurriedly deleted the original post and attempted to contain the situation.
Taiwan also has a history of martial law declarations similar to South Korea. The martial law declared by Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang government in 1949 lasted until 1987. At that time, the Taiwanese government under Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo ruled with an anti-communist stance and purged dissidents under the pretext of rooting out 'subversive elements.'
Later, the DPP, which emerged in September 1986, abolished Article 100 of the Criminal Code that prohibited party formation, newspaper establishment, and acts inciting independence from mainland China, thus ending the world's longest martial law period of 38 years. Given this history of directly ending the martial law that had plunged the country into fear, the emergence of opinions seemingly endorsing martial law from the DPP further fueled the controversy.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese media reported that Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs included South Korea in the Level 1 (Gray) category, urging caution regarding travel to South Korea as of the previous day. They warned that South Korea's domestic situation could still be subject to change and advised vigilance. Level 2 (Yellow) requires travelers to pay special attention to safety and reconsider travel plans. Additionally, Level 3 (Orange) advises avoiding unnecessary travel, and Level 4 (Red) calls for travel bans and emergency evacuations.
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