South Korea marks 45 years since 1979 coup and military dictatorship
This was the last time the country was under martial law, up until last week’s shock and short-lived declaration by President Yoon Suk Yeol.
SEOUL: Exactly 45 years ago, South Korea was placed under a military dictatorship following the assassination of then-President Park Chung-hee.
Chun Doo-hwan, an army major general, overthrew the government in a coup on Dec 12, 1979 before declaring martial law and ruling the country with an iron first for eight years.
For some, last week’s events brought back memories of this dark period.
President Yoon Suk Yeol stunned the nation on Dec 3 when he declared martial law, plunging Asia's fourth-largest economy into a constitutional crisis and sparking protests on the streets.
He rescinded the declaration six hours later after parliament voted to reverse it.
On Thursday (Dec 12), he defended his actions as a legal move to protect democracy in a televised address.
This came as the leader of Yoon’s own People Power Party said he showed no signs of resigning and must be impeached. The party blocked an attempt last week by opposition parties to impeach Yoon.
He faces a second impeachment vote in parliament, set to be held on Saturday.
