Our Planet Climate and Geopolitics
In the space of six hours last night, South Korea experienced a declaration of martial law, the arrival of military helicopters on the roof of its parliament, a vote to reverse the declaration and a climb-down by the president as dawn broke over Seoul.
Yoon Suk Yeol, a former prosecutor, now faces urgent calls to resign or face impeachment. Mired in scandal and with historically low approval ratings, he stunned his country with the announcement of a military takeover shortly before midnight.
If taken seriously it would have banned “fake news” and outlawed opposition politics in defence against North Korean infiltrators and “anti-state elements”.
Instead, MPs voted overwhelmingly against and South Korea’s relatively young democracy held firm. Yoon’s true motive seems to have been a bitter row with the opposition for voting down his budget.
