Yoon in peril after failed martial law move

SEOUL, Dec 04 (Reuters/BBC/AFP): South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's shocking late-night declaration of martial law brought years of clashes with domestic opponents, the media and even his own conservative party to a head and threw his political future into doubt.

He promised to roll back that order only hours later after parliament, including some members of his own party, voted to block the move.

South Korean MPs have begun impeachment proceedings against President Yoon Suk Yeol after thwarting his shock move to impose martial law.

Less than two hours after his declaration, MPs forced their way into the National Assembly and voted to block his decision - some broke through barricades; the parliament's speaker told the BBC he climbed over a wall.

Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun offered to resign Wednesday over the turmoil caused by the brief imposition of martial law by his close ally President Yoon Suk Yeol.

"First, I deeply regret and take full responsibility for the confusion and concern caused to the public regarding the martial law... I have taken full responsibility for all matters related to the martial law and have submitted my resignation to the president," Kim said in a statement.

A chaotic night in South Korea produced scenes most thought were consigned to the nation's history. One in particular has caught the attention of many: a woman confronting soldiers who were sent to block lawmakers from entering the National Assembly.

Footage of Ahn Gwi-ryeong, 35, a spokesperson for the opposition Democratic Party, grabbing the weapon of a soldier during the commotion has been shared widely online.

"I didn't think… I just knew we had to stop this," she told the BBC Korean Service. Ahn made her way to the assembly building as soldiers descended on it, shortly after the president declared martial law across South Korea.

Like many in South Korea's younger generation, the word "martial law" was foreign to her. It was last declared in 1979.

Yoon squeaked out a victory in the tightest presidential election in South Korean history in 2022 on a wave of discontent over economic policy, scandals and gender wars, reshaping the political future of Asia's fourth-largest economy.

He was embraced by leaders in the West as a partner in the US-led effort to unify democracies against growing authoritarianism in China, Russia and elsewhere.

But even as he talked up a foreign policy of shared democratic values, Yoon drew increasing accusations of heavy-handed leadership at home, and fears of more strident crackdowns have percolated for some time.

During his confirmation hearing as defence minister in September, Kim Yong-hyun, then Yoon's head of presidential security, denied opposition lawmakers' suggestions that his appointment was part of preparations to declare martial law.

A spokesman for Yoon did not respond to repeated phone calls. Yoon's move comes as South Korea tries to shore up its position before the Jan. 20 inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, who clashed with Yoon's predecessor over trade and paying for US troops stationed in South Korea.

"For a president who has focused so much on South Korea's international reputation, this makes South Korea look very unstable," said Mason Richey, a professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul. "This will have a negative effect on financial and currency markets and South Korea's diplomatic place in the world."

One Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive politics, said the martial law declaration would complicate conversations about South Korea joining more multinational diplomatic efforts.

Jenny Town of the US-based Stimson Center think tank said the move appeared "desperate and dangerous" and could spell the beginning of the end of Yoon's presidency.

"He was already unpopular, but this might just be the final straw to move impeachment processes forward," she said.

Democracy in South Korea took a step backward since Yoon took office, the Varieties of Democracy Institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden said in an annual report in March, citing legal cases against figures associated with the previous administration and assaults on gender equality and freedom of expression.