South Korea president to lift martial law order after parliament voted to block it
South Korea’s president has said he will lift the emergency martial law order he had declared just hours earlier.
Yoon Suk Yeol’s decision comes after parliament voted to block the order, with the speaker of the National Assembly, Woo Won Shik, declaring it “invalid” and saying politicians would “protect democracy with the people”.
The president, who appears likely to be impeached over his actions, had said in a TV address on Tuesday night he was putting the military in temporary charge to defend the constitutional order and “eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces”.
But in a U-turn, Mr Yoon said martial law command forces have withdrawn and a cabinet meeting will be held as soon as possible.
In the end martial was in effect for about six hours.
South Korea martial law: Follow latest updates
After his earlier shock announcement, troops had entered the National Assembly building as police and protesters clashed outside and helicopters, likely to be from the military, flew overhead.
Staff barricaded the doors of the building, in the capital Seoul, to try to stop the soldiers entering.
Inside however, politicians were able to hold a vote and unanimously decided by 190-0 to block the president’s declaration.
According to the law, martial law must be lifted if the assembly votes against it – and police and soldiers were later seen leaving parliament.
Soldiers at the National Assembly compound in Seoul. Pic: Newsis/AP
Police officers clashed with protesters. Pic: AP
Lee Jae-myung, who heads the opposition liberal Democratic Party, which holds the majority in the 300-seat parliament, said anyone acting under the orders of Mr Yoon or the martial law edict was now “breaking the law”.
Despite the vote, the defence ministry told reporters it would uphold the order “until the president lifts [it]”.
Staff in parliament barricaded doors to stop soldiers entering. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
The president had said in his earlier TV address that martial law was necessary to protect “from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order”.
The declaration was the first since the country’s democratisation in 1987.
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Moment emergency martial law announced
UK ‘deeply concerned’
Following the announcement, the military said parliament and other political gatherings were suspended and the media was under its control, reported Yonhap news agency.
US deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell said the White House was watching with “grave concern” while Britain’s minister for the Indo-Pacific, Catherine West, said the UK was “deeply concerned”.
She advised Britons to monitor and follow Foreign Office advice and said its Seoul embassy was “in touch with the Korean authorities”.
“We call for a peaceful resolution to the situation, in accordance with the law and the constitution of the Republic of Korea,” said Ms West.
South Korea’s democracy was tested – and its people rose to the occasion
People power appears to have prevailed in South Korea, defanging a last ditch attempt by a beleaguered lame duck president to declare martial law.
President Yoon’s gambit has backfired spectacularly.
His bombshell announcement late at night led not to a swift imposition of military rule, but instead galvanised popular opposition.
Protesters raced to the country’s parliament allowing MPs inside to vote to overturn the rogue president’s martial law plan.
There was a tense standoff between protesters and police but no violence.
The swift response seized the initiative from the president who was left with little option but to backdown. He now faces investigation by his political opponents along with his minister for national defence who they say was also complicit.
President Yoon may be familiar to some from a viral video showing him crooning American Pie in a soft soothing baritone in an impromptu performance in the White House.
He was not a conventional political performer and has been embroiled in deepening political difficulty since his party lost its parliamentary majority in this year’s elections.
He is now in a world of political pain as he prepares to pay the price for his extraordinarily rash move.
South Korea itself emerges from the episode with less to worry about.
It may have been unnerving, but the constitution, the parliament and the people appear to have weathered the storm and risen to the moment.
South Korea’s democracy has been tested and proven resilient in an unprecedentedly challenging few hours.
Scandals and a government in crisis
Since taking office in 2022, President Yoon has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament.
His conservative People Power Party has been in a deadlock with the liberal Democratic Party over next year’s budget.
Ministers protested the move on Monday by the Democratic Party to slash more than four trillion won (approximately £2.1bn) from the government’s proposal.
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Crowds gather outside South Korean parliament
Pic: AP
Mr Yoon said that action undermines the essential functioning of government administration.
The president has also dismissed calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife and top officials, which has drawn criticism from his political rivals.
Security and defence analyst Professor Michael Clarke told Sky News the government in South Korea has been in “crisis” for a couple of years.
The president made the martial law announcement on Tuesday night. Pic: AP
“Yoon has been leading a minority government for some time, against him the Democratic Party have just frustrated whatever he has tried to do,” Clarke said.
“He has decided to get ahead of his opposition by creating this move.
“The last thing that liberal democracy needs at the moment is one of the democracies of Asia turning into a short-term dictatorship, so I think this is only a short-term parliamentary manoeuvre, but it may turn out to be more.”
Martial law is typically temporary, but can continue indefinitely. It is most often declared in times of war and/or emergencies such as civil unrest and natural disasters.
South Korea’s previous period of martial law was in October 1979.
The man at the centre of negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire has told Sky News Donald Trump wants a deal done before he takes power in January.
Speaking exclusively to Sky’s The World with Yalda Hakim, the prime minister of Qatar expressed cautious optimism but said it required “maximum pressure” on all parties to end the fighting.
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al Thani said Mr Trump’s advisers and the incoming administration have said they want the situation resolved by his 20 January inauguration.
“We are trying to coordinate with them our efforts, and all of us, we agree, and we are hoping to get over this situation before the president comes to the office,” he said.
The prime minister said the Trump team “want this to be resolved now – today even”.
Mr al Thani also defended Hamas being allowed to continue operating its political office from Doha, Qatar’s capital.
He stressed it was set up “with full transparency and coordination, and at the request of the US and Israel at that time to have this as to be used as a negotiation platform”.
He said multiple ceasefires had been brokered through the office since 2014.
“There are tons of situations where we have prevented an escalation from the beginning in order not to put ourselves in a situation like what we ended up with on 7 October,” he said.
The prime minister added: “There will be always be criticism, a lot of parties who will not like this kind of policy, yes, but it’s needed.”
A man and child on the site of an Israeli strike in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza, on 4 December. Pic Reuters
A building hit by an Israeli strike in Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza, on 28 November. Pic: Reuters
Negotiations over a Gaza ceasefire have so far proved unsuccessful, with more than 44,500 Palestinians killed in the war, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel has vowed to wipe out Hamas after the group killed about 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages in its October 2023 terror attack.
About 100 hostages are still inside Gaza – but at least a third are believed to be dead.
On Monday, Donald Trump said there would be “hell to pay” if the hostages were not released before he re-enters the White House.
“Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America,” he wrote on his Truth Social site.
Speaking about what Mr Trump’s re-election means for the Middle East – including relations with Iran – the Qatari prime minister said there were “a lot of risks” but “plenty of opportunities”.
“I hope that everyone sees these opportunities,” he added.
Read more:
Qatar gets gift of state visit but questions remain over rights
Qatar threatens to suspend mediation rule in Gaza talks
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King hosts Qatari ruler at state banquet
Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, is currently in the UK for a state visit and a lavish banquet was held in his honour at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
The Gulf state’s prime minister told Sky News the trip was a “celebration” of long-standing links between Britain and Qatar – and that it was especially welcome as loyalty was “in short supply in the world”.
He also addressed criticism of Qatar’s human rights record, with some urging Sir Keir Starmer to raise the issue during the visit.
Campaigners have frequently accused it of abuses against migrant workers, curtailing freedom of expression, and discrimination against women and LGBTQ people.
Mr al Thani said the wealthy Gulf state was doing its best to address issues.
“It’s unfortunate sometimes when we see all this criticism in human rights or so-called human rights records in Qatar,” he said.
“We are not saying that we are a perfect nation or a perfect country, but we are a country that when we see there is something wrong, we acknowledge the facts that these are wrong things, and we are trying to do our best according to our systems and our customs, to modify it and to reform it.”
Police in New York are hunting a gunman who shot dead a healthcare executive outside a hotel in what was a “brazen targeted attack”.
Brian Thompson, who had been the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare since April 2021, was killed outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan.
The gunman, who was wearing a face mask, was lying in wait for about five minutes before he approached the 50-year-old victim from behind.
Mr Thompson had been in his role for three years. Pic: UnitedHealthcare/AP
He opened fire several times, shooting him in the back and leg. He then walks towards Mr Thompson and continues to shoot.
Police said the weapon jammed during the attack, which happened at around 6.45am local time on Wednesday. But the shooter cleared the jam and started firing again.
The suspect then fled on foot before getting on a GPS-tracked e-bike and was last seen in Central Park.
Mr Thompson, who lived in Minnesota, was taken to a nearby hospital but could not be saved.
Police are still searching for the suspect and are offering a $10,000 (£7,866) reward for information. Officers also said they did not yet have a motive for the shooting.
Photos taken from CCTV footage shows a man wearing a grey backpack riding a bicycle, and another photo of the individual appearing to be pointing a gun.
An image of the individual sought in connection to the investigation of the shooting of Brian Thompson. Pic: NYPD/Reuters
Pic: NYPD/Reuters
The suspect was described as a light-skinned male, wearing a light brown or cream coloured jacket, a black face mask, black and white trainers and distinctive grey rucksack.
Police said there was another person standing next to Mr Thompson when he was attacked outside the hotel, and are in the process of identifying them.
New York City’s police commissioner Jessica Tisch said the shooting was a “brazen, targeted attack”.
“This does not appear to be a random act of violence. Every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack,” she said.
Who was Brian Thompson?
Brian Thompson was the boss of UnitedHealth’s insurance division.
He had been at the company, in various roles, for 20 years and had served in his current job since 2021.
Mr Thompson worked under group chief executive Sir Andrew Witty, the experienced British executive best known in the UK for his tenure in charge at pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline in the early 2000s.
UnitedHealthcare is the largest provider of Medicare health insurance plans in the United States – policies that holders generally find cause to complain about industry-wide.
Medicare plans cover people aged 65 or older and younger people with disabilities.
America’s healthcare insurance costs rank as the most expensive in the world.
The firm also manages health insurance for companies.
Mr Thompson’s wife, Paulette Thompson, said that he had been receiving threats.
“There had been some threats,” she said in a phone call to Sky’s US partner network, NBC News. “Basically, I don’t know, a lack of coverage? I don’t know details. I just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.”
“I can’t really give a thoughtful response right now. I just found this out and I’m trying to console my children,” she added.
Pic: Reuters
Police officers stand near the scene where the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson was shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan. Pic: Reuters
The attack happened as the company was scheduled to have its annual meeting with investors on Wednesday morning in the Hilton. Mr Thompson had arrived in New York on Monday to attend the meeting and was staying in a hotel opposite the Hilton.
It is understood Mr Thompson was in charge of organising the conference and was due to speak at the meeting.
Bullets lie on the footpath of the scene outside the Hilton Hotel in midtown Manhattan. Pic: AP
A member of the NYPD Crime Scene Unit takes a picture of a shell casing found at the scene. Pic: Reuters
“We’re dealing with a very serious medical situation with one of our team members, and as a result, I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring to a close the event today,” UnitedHealth’s chief executive Sir Andrew Witty said.
The suspect was described as using a firearm with a silencer, CNBC reported, citing a person familiar with the incident.
UnitedHealthcare is the insurance arm of the healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group.
The scene after Brian Thompson was fatally shot in New York. Pic: AP
Pic: Reuters
Members of the NYPD Crime Scene Unit work near evidence markers placed where shell casings were found. Pic Reuters
In a statement, it said: “Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him. We are working closely with the New York Police Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time.
“Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him.”
There have been no arrests, and the investigation is active and ongoing.
The scene of the shooting is a short walk from tourist sites such as the Museum of Modern Art and Rockefeller Centre. The popular Rockefeller Centre Christmas tree lighting is set to take place Wednesday evening.
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