South Korea president declares martial law to ‘protect country from North Korea’

The president made the surprise announcement in a late night TV address

In a surprise late night television address, president Yoon Suk Yeol said the move is necessary to remove pro-North Korea forces from the country and to eliminate anti-state elements.

Yoon said he had no choice but to resort to martial law. However, he did not say what specific measures will be taken, BBC News reports.

In the televised address, he vowed to "eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order."

According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea's opposition leader Lee Jae-myung has labelled the declaration of martial law as unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, Han Dong-hoon, who is the head of the president's ruling People Power Party, has reportedly vowed to block the declaration. According to Yonhap, he has described it as "wrong."

Martial law is when military authorities temporarily take control of a country in a time of emergency. The measure is taken when civil authorities are deemed unable to function.

It can lead to a suspension of normal civil rights and the extension of military law.

Footage on social media claims to show a heavy police presence outside the assembly building, whilst Yonhap reports that members of the National Assembly have been banned from entering the building.

Yoon Suk Yeol has been president of South Korea since 2022, after a knife-edge presidential election win of just 0.7 per cent.

The opposition, the Democratic Party, control parliament though meaning Yoon has found it almost impossible to push his agenda. Things have come to a head recently as the two parties have been locked in an impasse over next year's budget bill.

This, combined with controversies and scandals involving his wife and top officials, have led to his approval rating falling in recent months.

Following Yoon's announcement, there have been reports from South Korean media that the military has announced the suspension of all parliamentary activity.