South Korea declares Martial Law

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/...cy-martial-law

South Korea’s president has declared an emergency martial law in the country, accusing opposition of anti-state activities.

President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday that he will rebuild a free and democratic country through the martial law.

What on earth?

[Dude111]

That seems quite disturbing........... Sounds like they are getting an early start on Project 2025...

[joglynne]

South Korea as an economically developed, technologically advanced, democratic country is a Global Pivotal Power and President Yoon has to ensure that he has sufficient political powers to balance South Korea's position between North Korea with it's close link to Russia, the West and the the Asian Alliance. There has been a USA (USFK) military presence near the border of North and South Korea since 1957.

The links that are being built with Japan, a part of the Asian Alliance, have caused problems as the Democratic Party (DP) remains highly critical of Yoon’s Japan policy as the atrocities carried out by Japan against Korea in WW2 are still an open wound.

Martial law comes after wrangling over budget bill

published at 14:31

Jake Kwon Reporting from Seoul

Yoon has been a lame duck president since the latest general election when the opposition won a landslide in parliament.

He was not able to pass the laws he wanted, instead, he was reduced to vetoing desperately any bills that the opposition had been passing.

Yoon is also mired in several scandals, mainly one around his wife, who is accused of corruption. She is also accused of influence peddling. The opposition has been trying to launch a special investigation against her.

This week, the opposition slashed budgets that the government and ruling party had put forward - and the budget bill cannot be vetoed.

In the same week, the opposition is moving to impeach cabinet members, mainly the head of the government audit agency, for failing to investigate the first lady.

Yoon has gone for the nuclear option - he claims it is to restore order when "anti-state" forces he says are trying to paralyse the country.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn38...4093e1d9f#post

[1andrew1]

From Hugh's link

4.10pm South Korea's parliament votes to block martial law

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn38...4093e1d9f#post

[joglynne]

Hugh, as far as the current domestic problem I agree completely, however, I feel that the immediate problem is North Korea's alliance with Russia regarding their potential future support. The "now shelved reunification with South Korea" is I believe still on Kim Jong Un's agenda with him now regarding them as his principal enemy. So any idea of a reunification with the South that would only happen as a result of a hostile takeover which is the main reason why both countries still have compulsory conscription.

Until unification or a permanent peace deal is agreed, Korea will forever be a potential geopolitical hotspot. A continuation of the Korean War is unlikely but can never truly be ruled out. With North Korea’s recent security pact with Russia, the stakes of this potential conflict are even higher than they were in the 1950s. Deterrence has never been more challenging or important in the Korean peninsula.

https://247wallst.com/military/2024/...-they-compare/

Over the past four years, North Korea’s appetite for talks with the US and South Korea has waned considerably.

Instead, it has accelerated its nuclear and missile development and abandoned its long-standing commitment towards reunification with the South. In January this year, Kim Jong Un designated South Korea as the North’s ‘primary foe’.

Pyongyang (capital of NK) has also undertaken a significant rapprochement with Moscow. North Korea is now an active participant in the war in Ukraine, having deployed over 11,000 troops to assist Putin’s war effort. More troops could yet be sent.

Even if Trump is successful in his ambition to quickly end the war, the revived relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang is likely to endure, irrespective of Russia’s need for North Korean artillery, missiles, and troops.

https://www.chathamhouse.org/2024/11...-contain-north

Dude's post about Project 2025 was brief but on point.

---------- Post added at 17:55 ---------- Previous post was at 16:46 ----------

I am in touch with someone who lives in central Seoul and he says that citizens of Seoul have barricaded the National Assembly building to stop soldiers entering and helicopters are flying overhead. It is possible that his actions last night may reinforce the drive to get the President impeached. Reports are coming in that that Han Dong-hoon, the head of the ruling People Power Party - of which President Yoon Suk Yeol is a member - has also vowed to block the declaration, describing it as "wrong"

It does look like it's failing

[jfman]

Always nice to see the Russian bogeyman deployed.

Originally Posted by jfman

Always nice to see the Russian bogeyman deployed.

When were you mentioned?

On an unrelated note, have you received an Advent Calendar from Vladimir yet? You know, the one where, when you open a window, someone falls out…

[jfman]

Not had mine in yet.

Post doesn’t arrive as fast from the Motherland as it used to. I blame privatisation.

Well it's failed now, all his cabinet have resigned, his party voted against them and he is facing impeachment if he doesn't resign first.

The question is if he can be held criminally liable beyond this. You can't try to stage a coup and overthrow democracy without consequence. It's treachery.