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North Korea Breaks Silence on Political Unrest in South.
North Korea has finally responded a week after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, a move that plunged the country into political turmoil and was quickly rescinded six hours later.
Yoon justified the announcement by accusing opposition party legislators of sympathizing with the North and engaging in “anti-state activities” meant to hamstring his government. He has been facing stiff resistance from lawmakers to his government agenda, scandals involving him and his wife, and low approval ratings.
“A shocking incident occurred in which Yoon Suk Yeol, who is facing a serious governance crisis and impeachment, declared emergency martial law against injustice and unhesitatingly pointed the bayonet of his dictatorship at the people, turning the whole country into an abyss,” said a commentary released Wednesday by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) of North Korea.
The commentary further accused Yoon of staging an act “reminiscent of the coup d’état during the military dictatorships of decades ago,” and noted that his decision has met with widespread domestic condemnation and intensified efforts to impeach him.
Newsweek reached out to the North Korean embassy in China by email with a request for comment outside of office hours.
North Korea, widely seen as a totalitarian state, employs extensive surveillance to monitor its citizens. Those accused of disloyalty or dissent face brutal punishments, including imprisonment in labor camps, torture, or execution.
It remains unclear why Pyongyang, which typically wastes no time criticizing the administration of North Korea hawk Yoon, delayed its response to the crisis.
Michael Madden, an analyst with the Stimson Center’s North Korea-focused group 38 North, suggested in a Tuesday article that the Kim Jong Un regime may have been caught off guard by Yoon’s abrupt move.
“Considering Yoon’s allegations about ‘anti-state’ activities and North Korean involvement in Seoul, it is highly probable that Pyongyang went into an unpublicized crisis posture out of caution,” Madden said.
He added that from Pyongyang’s perspective, the martial law declaration could have signaled a risk of clandestine South Korean attacks or limited military engagement near the Northern Limit Line, using the term for the de facto maritime boundary between the two Koreas.
The fact the fall of the North Korea-aligned Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria quickly followed Yoon’s move likely further put Kim on the back foot, Madden said.
In light of these events, Pyongyang may now be looking to leverage these events to pressure Russia into accelerating transfers of military technology and further deepen defense cooperation to enhance North Korea’s weapons capabilities.
Yoon’s decision to impose martial law has stirred unpleasant memories of South Korea’s authoritarian past under military rule. He is now under investigation for potential insurrection charges. Though he has apologized, Yoon continues to reject widespread calls for his resignation.
The fallout from the declaration has extended to Yoon’s cabinet. Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun was the first official arrested in connection with the martial law incident. While in detention, Kim attempted suicide, but his attempt was thwarted, and he is now in stable condition, the head of the correctional center told lawmakers on Wednesday.
(Miami herald)