Chaos is causing chaos in South Korea as President Yun Suk Yeol declared military law amid a fierce battle with the opposition, which has sought to respond to the political impasse it faces.

His decision to declare martial law for the first time since the country’s military dictatorship ended in the late 1980s has caused a huge uproar after a period of intense political controversy. At the same time, his political image has been tarnished by a series of scandals and his approval ratings are very low.

Yun, who belongs to the People’s Power Party, won the presidential election by a marginal 0.7 percentage points and is struggling to push his plans through the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

Political controversies and allegations of pro-North Korean forces

For his part, Yun denounced, through his televised speech, the opposition as having used its majority in the National Assembly to impeach cabinet members and block approval of his government’s budget plans. Calling it a “paralysis of government,” Yoon claimed that the National Assembly has become a monster that is destroying free democracy.

In addition to the opposition, Yun also directed his fire at pro-North Korean forces through parliament. As he said in his speech, his goal is to eliminate the “shameless pro-North Korean anti-North Korean forces.” However, he did not mention any specific threat from Kim Jong Un‘s regime but focused on his domestic political opponents.

Budget

South Korea’s president cited the opposition’s proposal to impeach some of the country’s top prosecutors and the rejection of a government budget proposal for his decision.

On Monday, South Korean ministers criticized a move by the Democratic Party last week to cut more than 4 billion won from the government’s budget proposal. Yoon said the action undermined the effective functioning of the government administration.

The scandals and the Dior bag

Despite taking office in 2022, South Korea’s president has seen his ratings plummet after scandals and controversy prompted hundreds of thousands of citizens to call for his removal.

He is blamed for the deaths of 159 people due to crowding at Itaewon Halloween. Families are demanding accountability and action from authorities, and are unhappy with Yun’s moves, especially after he decides to block a bill that proposed a new investigation into the incident.

There was also controversy over the luxury Dior handbag, worth $2,200, which the president’s wife accepted as a gift. Such a gift violates bribery laws, under which public officials and their spouses are prohibited from receiving gifts worth more than $750.

Initially, Yoon called it a “political stunt.” His claim was unconvincing, as the scandal grew even bigger, as evidenced in the April parliamentary elections when the liberal opposition recorded a sweeping victory. Last month the President apologised because, as he admitted, his wife should have behaved better. His wife is also facing allegations of involvement in an alleged stock manipulation scheme.

What North Korea’s martial law provides

And while the opposition accuses the president of betraying the people and also of making an illegal decision, Yun Suk-yun has appointed General Park An-soo as the commander of the martial law. The latter banned “all political activities,” including the activities of political parties and civic gatherings, as well as work activities.

Under the constitution, martial law allows the president, who has clashed with the media, to restrict freedom of the press. General Park said in a decree that “all media and publications are under the control of the martial law command,” warning that those who spread “false news” could be arrested without a warrant.

The president’s decision also had financial implications. The South Korean currency fell sharply after the declaration of martial law and has so far fallen 2 percent against the dollar.

Disappointed the ruling camp

The martial law has not only been met with opposition reactions from the opposition but also from the government camp.

The leader of the Han Dong-hun Party, and the leader of the Yun Suk Yeol Party, wrote on Facebook that “declaring martial law is wrong” and that he would “work with citizens to stop it.”

Meanwhile, the National Assembly speaker called on deputies to discuss how to react to the declaration of martial law.