South Korea’s Lee vows ‘strict accountability’ for martial law perpetrators
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – DECEMBER 3: President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a press conference to celebrate the first anniversary of former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law at Yeongbingwan at the Blue House in Seoul, South Korea on December 03, 2025. A year has passed since then-President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, stunning Korea and setting off a political crisis that continues to reverberate today. (Photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has vowed “strict accountability” for the perpetrators behind former leader Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed attempt at martial law last year and described the uprising as a test of the country’s democratic resilience.
In a special address to the nation, Lee described the events of December 3 as a “revolution of light” and said that this “revolution” was incomplete, according to the English translation of Ariang News.
He added that investigations and trials regarding the riot are continuing.
The former president is currently on trial for rebellion, while prosecutors say 15 years imprisonment for former prime minister Han Duck-soo.
Other senior officials, including Yoon’s defense minister and the former head of the National Intelligence Agency, were also arrested in connection with the attempt to impose military rule.
The speech marks a year since Yoon suddenly declared martial law; This was the first such move in Asia’s fourth-largest economy since 1980.
A television screen shows a broadcast of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s speech on emergency martial law in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, on Dec. 3, 2024.
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Lee called Yoon’s attempt at martial law a “self-inflicted coup” and said “those who destroy the constitutional order and even incite war for their personal ambitions must face the judiciary to build a country where no one can dream of a coup again.”
The South Korean president also praised the South Korean people in his speech, saying they had peacefully overcome an “unprecedented democratic crisis” and “fully deserve the Nobel Peace Prize.”
When asked by the press if he would nominate the South Korean people for the honor, Lee explained that it was just his personal opinion but hoped his comment would be “triggering”. [for] people’s arguments.”
Martial law attempt
The crisis began on December 3, 2024, when Yoon suddenly declared martial law in a late-night speech and Lee accused the Democratic Party of Korea of engaging in “anti-state activities” and colluding with “North Korean communists.”
Yoon ordered the dispatch of troops to the country’s National Assembly; here soldiers blocked access and special forces clashed with protesters and lawmakers as they tried to enter parliament.
However, within three hours, the martial law order was overturned when 190 of the 300 National Assembly MPs, including Lee, gathered in parliament and unanimously overturned the decree. Yoon lifted martial law about six hours after his announcement.
Soldiers try to enter the National Assembly building in Seoul on December 4, 2024, after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on December 3, accusing the opposition of being “anti-state forces” and saying he was acting to protect the country from “threats” posed by the North.
Jung Yeon-je | Afp | Getty Images
South Korea was subsequently plunged into weeks of political turmoil. Yoon was dismissed on December 14, and then-Prime Minister Han became acting president. Khan was also dismissed on December 27 and replaced by then-Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok.
The country’s Constitutional Court later reinstated Han in March, making him acting president again until the court removed Yoon from office on April 4. Yoon was later arrested and charged with rioting, a crime that carries the maximum death penalty.
