The Take: Why South Korea’s president suddenly declared martial law

South Korean politics descended into chaos as President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, then lifted after backlash.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers a speech to declare martial law in Seoul, South Korea, December 3, 2024 [Handout/The Presidential Office via Reuters]

A wild six hours ensued in South Korea after President Yoon Suk-yeol suddenly declared martial law. Parliament swiftly countered, ending the brief crisis, but Yoon’s political future now hangs in the balance. How did South Korea get here? And how will its brief brush with martial law reshape its political future?

In this episode:

  • Se-Woong Koo, Managing Editor of Korea Exposé

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters, Ashish Malhotra, Tamara Khadaker, and Sonia Bhagat with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Duha Mosaad, Hagir Saleh, Cole Van Miltenburg, and our host, Malika Bilal. 

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editor is Hisham Abu Salah. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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Source: Al Jazeera

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