People’s Democracy Party of the ‘Republic of Korea (ROK, South Korea)’ announced two commentary on the situation in the ‘ROK’.
In the night of December 3, in the ‘ROK’, President declared the Emergency Martial Law.
The martial law was lifted by the National Assembly. However, the possibility of a second martial law declaration is growing.
PDP analyzed this situation and announced two commentaries.
The full texts are as below.
[Spokesperson Report (Commentary) 573]
Immediately arrest Yoon Suk-yeol, the rebellion ringleader!
1. Yoon Suk-yeol is a rebel ringleader. On December 5, Kim Yong-hyun, the former Minister of National Defense and the one who suggested emergency martial law to Yoon, admitted that the reason for sending martial law army to the National Assembly was the minimum necessary measure to prevent the resolution to lift the martial law. He added that it was a guideline by V, that is Yoon Suk-yeol, that the police would act first and the military would be sent in at least one hour later. This confirms that the martial law army entered the National Assembly under Yoon’s direction. Meanwhile, martial law forces were not only deployed at the National Assembly, but also at the National Election Commission (NEC). At around 0:30 am on December 4, around 10 member of advance unit entered the NEC and confiscated the cell phones of five people, including the night staff, while 100 additional troops conducted security operations, occupying the building for a total of 3 hours and 20 minutes. Around the same time, a total of 297 member of martial law troop were deployed, including 130 at the Suwon Election Commission Training Center and 47 at the Seoul Gwanak District Poll Review Committee. About this, Kim Yong-hyun said it was to “judge the need for an investigation into suspected election fraud.” This was an attempt to overturn the results of the last general election, which ended in a landslide victory for the Democratic Party of the Republic of Korea (ROK), in order to destroy the functioning of the National Assembly.
2. Yoon Suk-yeol led a military rebellion. It is more than an internal disturbances; it is a rebellion because he moved the military. First of all, this emergency martial law was illegal, in complete violation of the Constitution and the Martial Law Act, and destroyed the Constitutional government. It did not go through the deliberation of Cabinet meeting as a procedure, and the actual time of martial law declaration was 22:29 on December 3, while the initial decree stated that the time of declaration was 22:00. There was no notification without delay to the National Assembly after the declaration of martial law. The martial law decree illegalized the activities of the National Assembly, the legislature, which are protected under the Constitution and Martial Law Act, and stated that citizens may “be punished” under the measures. Armored vehicles of the National Capital Defense Command were deployed in Seoul downtown, and the 707th Unit, a special force that is directly under special operation command, infamous as “decapitation unit”, entered the National Assembly with live ammunition. According to information, the Military Police Corps of National Capital Defense Command was tasked with arresting lawmakers and transporting them to a counterintelligence bunker in Gwacheon. Furthermore, arrest teams were organized for other prominent politicians, including the opposition leader.
3. In cases of insurrection and rebellion, privilege of freedom from arrest of the president does not apply. Regarding the reason for declaring the emergency martial law, Yoon stated it was done “to inform the public of the reckless actions of the Democratic Party.” Also the office of the president claimed it was “an unavoidable response to forces undermining national security and an attempt to restore normal governance.” These remarks demonstrate that martial law was unlawfully declared during peacetime, rather than in a “state of war or emergency.” Meanwhile, in the ongoing impeachment proceedings, the People Power Party is desperately attempting to block the bill. If Yoon is not arrested and the impeachment motion is rejected, the likelihood of a second declaration of emergency martial law is very high. In the worst-case scenario, a local conflict or even war could break out. Article 5 of the Military Criminal Act and Article 87 of the Criminal Act prescribe the death penalty for ringleaders of insurrection, recognizing the severe harm they pose to the safety and lives of the people. The ringleader of this military rebellion, Yoon Suk-yeol, must be arrested immediately.
[Spokesperson Report (commentary) 574]
Stop the scheme for a second martial law declaration!
1. Warnings about a second declaration of martial law are pouring in. An opposition lawmaker who previously predicted the declaration of martial law stated that the likelihood of a second martial law declaration is “100%”, saying, “Because the president’s fundamental motives and inherent authority to destroy democracy remain intact, a president who is further cornered and acting irrationally will resort to even more extreme methods, believing he can succeed this time.” This emergency martial law was executed based on a draft plan created during Park Geun-hye’s regime. The plan included provisions to declare martial law in the event that her impeachment trial was dismissed. It is no coincidence that the People Power Party (ruling party) has decided to oppose impeachment as its official stance and is scheming to block it. This can reasonably be seen as part of the preparatory process for a second declaration of martial law.
2. Yoon is an evil man who can not only impose a second martial law but also local warfare. In fact, in October, Yoon and military fascists infiltrated unmanned aerial vehicles into Pyongyang at least three times, fired heavy fire weapons at the DPRK, and fired Chunmoo multiple rockets over the East Sea, in order to fiercely provoke the DPRK to start a local war. This means the declaration of emergency martial law through localized warfare, which means “war martial law”, was specifically carried out. There are several examples of fascists using war to deflect political crises. The Ukrainian Zelensky neo-Nazis bombed and destroyed the Donbass for eight years from 2014 to 2021, then declared the Donbass War in a New Year’s speech in January 2022 to deflect the worst political crisis, and imposed martial law when the war in Ukraine broke out in February. Judicial risk is one of the reasons why Israel’s Netanyahu administration provoked the war in Palestine in earnest in 2023 and continues to wage war in West Asia.
3. We should immediately arrest Yoon, who is plotting a second martial law. The essence of the emergency martial law on December 3 was a military rebellion and a palace coup. The martial law itself was illegal and the detailed situation of how the special forces with live ammunition were mobilized to paralyze the legislature and overturn the results of the last general election have already been revealed. The privilege of non-arrest does not apply to Yoon’s grave crime of rebellion, which went beyond civil war, mobilizing the military. On the other hand, the fact that US aggressors were behind the martial law declarations of Rhee Syng-man in 1948 and 1960, Park Chung-hee in 1961, and Chun Doo-hwan in 1980 shows who the masterminds behind the military coups and palace coup of Yoon and the military fascists are. Yoon has already declared war on the people by repeating “punishment” twice in the decree after the declaration of martial law. If we do not end Yoon, the lives of the people in ROK will be cut off. The awakened and united people in the ROK will rouse all-together in the anti-Yoon uprising, sweep away Yoon’s fascist dictatorship and the US aggressors, defend democracy, and advance to fasten the people’s democracy.
December 5, 2024
Gwanghwamun, Seoul
People’s Democracy Party, Spokesperson office
