On the evening of December 3, after declaring emergency martial law, President Yoon Suk Yeol announced that he would "withdraw the military in accordance with the National Assembly's demand." However, he noted that while a Cabinet meeting must be convened to formally lift martial law, the quorum could not be met due to the early hour.
Around 4:30 AM on December 4, President Yoon addressed the nation, stating, "Dear citizens, at 11 PM last night, I declared emergency martial law with a resolute determination to save the nation in the face of anti-state forces that sought to paralyze the core functions of the state and destroy the liberal democratic constitutional order." He continued, "However, following the National Assembly's demand to lift martial law, the military deployed for martial law operations has been withdrawn. I will immediately convene a Cabinet meeting to comply with the Assembly's request and formally revoke martial law. Due to the early hour, the quorum for the Cabinet meeting has not been met, but I will proceed to lift martial law as soon as possible."
President Yoon also urged the National Assembly to "immediately halt its repeated impeachments and legislative and budgetary manipulation that have paralyzed the functions of the state."
In his emergency briefing on the night of December 3, President Yoon criticized the Democratic Party, accusing it of "intimidating judges, impeaching numerous prosecutors to disrupt judicial operations, and attempting to impeach the Minister of the Interior and Safety, the Chair of the Korea Communications Commission, the Auditor General, and the Defense Minister, effectively paralyzing the executive branch as well."
He further declared, "Dear citizens, to protect the Republic of Korea from the threats of North Korean communist forces and to eradicate the shameless pro-North anti-state elements who are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, I am declaring emergency martial law to defend the liberal constitutional order."
However, around 1 AM on December 4, the National Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to lift martial law, with all 190 members present voting in favor. Following this, the Speaker’s Office declared the martial law null and void. National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik stated, "In accordance with the Assembly's resolution, the President must immediately lift martial law. Martial law is now nullified. Citizens, please rest assured. The National Assembly stands with the people to safeguard democracy."
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