Global News Podcast - South Korea president reverses his decision to impose martial law

Episode Date: December 3, 2024

The president of South Korea has reversed his shock decision to impose martial law. Yoon Suk Yeol had ordered the deployment of troops hours earlier, accusing the opposition of being criminals and anti -state forces.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. If Hitler isn't defeated, it's the end of the free world. Purple Heart Warriors, listen now by searching for dramas wherever you get your BBC podcasts. This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Nick Miles and in the early hours of Wednesday the 4th of December, these are our main stories. As we record this podcast, South Korea is in political chaos after President Yoon Suk-yul declared that he was lifting a martial law order that he'd announced just hours before. Earlier, the National Assembly had voted to oppose his imposition of military rule. In other news, Joe Biden has reiterated the US commitment to Africa during a visit to

Angola, which may be his final trip as president. Also in this podcast... The winner of the 2024 Turner Prize is Jasleen Quay. The 38 year old whose exhibition celebrates the Scottish Sikh community has won one of the world's most prestigious art awards. We begin in South Korea. The president has reversed his shock decision to impose martial law. Yoon Suk-yul confirmed that troops had been withdrawn from the streets. He'd ordered their deployment a few hours earlier, accusing the opposition of being criminals and anti-state forces. South Korea has been thrown into political turmoil by events. President Yun had made a surprise television address.

Dear citizens, I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of the North Korean communist forces, eradicate the shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people and protect the free constitutional order. Through this martial law I will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea which is falling into the abyss of national ruin." Well, less than two hours after his declaration, MPs defied the president, gathering at the National Assembly and voting to block his move. Some broke through barricades or climbed fences to get inside the building. Meanwhile, outside, there were scuffles between police and protesters and inside the National Assembly there were developments.

That is the Speaker of the National Assembly, Woo Won-sik, at the start of a session demanding the lifting of martial law saying we will definitely protect democracy together with the people. A vote by MPs on overturning the imposition of martial law took place and passed. So an extraordinary day in Seoul ending in the president saying he was lifting the order to impose martial law. Tim Franks got this update from the BBC correspondent Laura Bicker who was outside the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday morning local time. There's still hundreds of people you can probably hear the loudspeakers. I'm just trying to move away from them. I mean, it's very, very hard to kind of gauge the mood. There's a lot of people who have brought out noodles, they're eating meat on sticks. It's very celebratory, but it's also one where a lot of questions are being asked.

The one question, why did he declare martial law? It's very hard to understand because he would never have had the votes in parliament as has been demonstrated. Secondly, what happens next? Now we're already hearing that there might be moves to impeach President Youn very soon. We're also hearing that the protesters plan to stay, that more protests may be planned for the centre of Seoul. So there will be calls now for his impeachment. He is, as we would say in Scotland, on a shibbly peg. It is difficult to see how he survives politically after this. He is on the brink, as many would say. And I think what is hard for many to accept is that when he accepted that his ruling

of martial law had been overruled, it was trite. He didn't seem, sorry, he didn't seem to understand the grave declaration that had been made. So I think that's what the crowd are trying to understand outside the National Assembly here in the early hours of the morning, a new day. Yeah, and Laura, I mean, you know the country very, very well. It's true to say, isn't it, that it comes, his declaration, whatever one makes of the fact of it and the gamble that he took that is so backfired, it's born of a profound frustration in the way politics is currently being done in South Korea, because it just doesn't seem

to be working in a way which is helping to answer any of the really deep questions and challenges that South Korea faces. I think having observed this over a number of years, where I would trace this back to would be the historic impeachment of Park Geun-hye, President Park Geun-hye back in 2016. Many will remember over a million people filled Gwanghwamun, the centre of Seoul, holding candles aloft for 18, 19 weeks on end to impeach the president. Now, at that point she was successfully impeached, she was sent to prison for corruption and bribery, as were other presidents. You know, when it comes to the direct line between the Blue House and the prison, it seems to be like three out

of four have been charged, the last four have been charged with corruption. And it seems that prosecution is being used as a political tool. Now when it comes to President Yeun, he was already on a slim wedge. He had only narrowly won the presidency for start. He's become deeply unpopular over the last few years, and he's just struggled to get anything done. His back's against the wall, and I think he decided to take drastic action. But why he decided that this drastic action would work

is hard to see because it would not have solved any of the problems that he was facing. Laura Bicker in Seoul. Before the announcement that President Yoon said he was lifting a martial law order, the United States had said it was gravely concerned over the situation in South Korea. At a news conference, a spokesman for the US State

Department, Vedant Patel, said the US stood by South Korea, also known as the ROK, and hoped the situation evolved peacefully. Our alliance with the ROK is ironclad. Our partnership to the ROK, we remain committed to that. We are monitoring the situation. We continue to have grave concerns over some of these developments, but ultimately it's our hope and expectation that this is resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.

The British government also said it was monitoring the situation and warned its citizens to avoid political demonstrations. China's embassy in Seoul has urged Chinese visitors to remain calm, limit unnecessary outings and exercise caution when expressing political opinions. So what effect will these developments have in the region and further afield? Our Asia Pacific regional editor, Mickey Bristo, considers the significance of the extraordinary events in South Korea. If this had happened in North Korea there'd be little surprise, but few will have expected to see martial law in modern, progressive and democratic South Korea.

For some time now it's been well known for its economic prowess. Samsung phones and Hyundai cars are global brands. Its culture has swept the world. South Korean pop music, TV dramas and even food, think kimchi, have an international audience. Its politics have also changed. The authoritarian leaders who ruled after the Second World War were ousted. Debate is frequently lively and colourful. There are often multiple protests at weekends in Seoul. But for more than four decades, power has changed hands peacefully. And on

the global stage, South Korea is playing a much bigger role. It has publicly supported the Western world's efforts to help Ukraine win the war with Russia. All that progress is now threatened by the President's declaration of martial law. It's a return to a time South Koreans probably hoped was long gone. Mickey Bristow The war in Ukraine and the instability in the Middle East has dominated much of President Biden's foreign policy agenda during his time in office. So much so that he's not visited sub-Saharan Africa. Until now, that is.

On Tuesday, he was in Angola, where he promised lasting US engagement in Africa. I'm proud, very proud, to be the first American president to visit Angola. And I'm deeply proud of everything we have done together to transform our partnership thus far. I heard more from Ann Soy, our senior Africa correspondent. He really answered the question why America is doing this, why it is important for them, and why it was important for him to come to Africa very late in his presidency. He made this promise two years ago, so it's a fulfillment of that promise.

But he's optimistic that this project, this relationship, will continue into the future. He said that Africa is too important to ignore, and they are resetting that relationship to be more of a partnership, not a patron relationship. And unfortunately for human rights organizations, they are concerned that they're becoming more mellow on that front. However, the kind of partnership that they are trying to shape now is what they have been talking about. For some time, President Obama spoke about it when he was last here in 2015. He was the last year's president to visit. So indeed, it is a significant visit, not just for Africa, but hugely so for Angola.

Joe Biden talked about and promised a continued US involvement in Africa. It might not feel as though it's a big involvement at the moment because this is the first visit to sub-Saharan Africa by Mr Biden. To what extent has America lost out, if you like, to China in terms of influence in the region? By a lot because US involvement has sort of flatlined over the last two decades which is the same time that China came in in a big way through the Belt and Road Initiative investing in infrastructure that's rail, road, ports and now America has woken up to that reality and it is for the first time putting its money into the building of this 1300 kilometre or about just over 800

mile railway from the port of Lobito in Angola on the Atlantic that will cut across the country. They have refurbished an old railway that was completed in the 1930s and then they want to build a new one connecting that to the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is rich in all sorts of minerals, critical minerals that are needed for the transition to green energy, electric vehicle manufacture like cobalt, and also to Zambia's copper belt. And beyond that, they hope to connect that to the other side of the continent on the Indian Ocean through Tanzania. So he will be meeting the four heads of state from those countries I have mentioned tomorrow in Lobito.

And so this is hugely significant. And soy. Still to come. The levels of hunger, devastation and destruction we are seeing now in Gaza is worse than ever before. People cannot cope anymore. There is barely any food coming in while markets are empty. And now the largely displaced population is having to deal with winter storms. I'm Katie Watson in the Cook Islands, where we're taking a deep dive into the Pacific. This small island nation has grand ambitions to mine its seabed for metals used in green

technology. But a community that's defined by its ocean has found itself at the centre of a global debate. Listen now by searching for the documentary wherever you get your BBC podcasts. The Israeli defence minister Israel Katz has warned that Lebanon will suffer consequences if last week's ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah collapses. He said a return to war would mean Israel no longer distinguishing between the state of Lebanon and the militant group and threatened a deeper advance

into the country using greater force. On Monday Israel carried out the biggest strikes in Lebanon since the truce was agreed in response to a Hezbollah mortar attack. Our correspondent John Donnison is in Jerusalem. When is a ceasefire not a ceasefire? This is the ambiguous shaky ground that Israel and Hezbollah are now on. The United States which along with France brokered the deal less than a week ago insists the ceasefire is still in place and that these are just early teething problems. But with at least 11 people killed in Israeli strikes against Hezbollah, there is a danger the war could easily resume. The defence minister

here, Israel Katz, issued a warning, not just to Hezbollah, but to the whole of Lebanon. If we go back to war, we will act more forcefully and penetrate deeper. Until now, we made a distinction between Lebanon and Hezbollah. That will no longer be the case. Israel is trying to put pressure on the Lebanese government to rein Hezbollah in or risk the consequences. Both sides have accused each other of breaking the ceasefire. But the ball is really now in Hezbollah's court. Given that its leadership has been so ravaged by months of war, how will it respond to Israel's latest deadly strikes?

John Donison. While the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon remains volatile but largely intact, the war in Gaza goes on. The UN says that across the territory levels of hunger are worse than ever. Because of criminal looting the biggest UN agency in Gaza says it stopped bringing goods through the main crossing with Israel. At the same time the largely displaced population has been enduring floods caused by winter storms. Our Middle East correspondent Yulana Nell reports. Another assault on Gaza. But this time it's from the winter seas battering the coastline.

Waves sweep into the makeshift tents where tens of thousands of displaced people are living. to the makeshift tents where tens of thousands of displaced people are living. Mohammed Al-Halabi is desperate. Nothing is left in the tent. No mattresses, bedding, bread, everything was taken. The sea took it. We rescued a two-month-old child who was dragged out to sea. Nine in ten Ghazans who've been forced out of their homes during the war are now staying in tents. With temperatures plummeting, many are falling sick. There have been floods of

rainwater and sewage. Salwa Abu al-Numar in Khan Yunus says conditions were already dire and in recent days they have become even worse. This life I'm living, no flour, no food, no water, no shelter. There is not even a cover to shelter my children. When it rains on us we're drenched. The heavy rain floods us and we don't have a waterproof cover. The water seeps into the tent and we wear our clothes wet. Today, Salwa's children do have a meal, but there are long queues for charity handouts,

and it's the same across central and southern Gaza, where most of the population now lives. and southern Gaza, where most of the population now lives. Hundreds of people are waiting outside a bakery where there's very little bread. I need a loaf of bread. I have diabetes and I'm in pain. I can't push through the crowds. I'm afraid I'll be crushed and die, says Hanan Ashamali, who says she cares for orphans. I have no flour nor grain. I live on thin air. Lories move goods that have gone through security checks at Kerem Shalom, Israel's main crossing into Gaza. Goods entering remain at some of the lowest levels of the past year. Israel blames aid agencies. Shimon Friedman is spokesman for COGAT, part of the military controlling the

crossings. Unfortunately, we're still seeing that the biggest backlog for humanitarian aid getting to where it needs to get to is the distribution capabilities of the international organisations as the over 800 trucks worth of aid around me attest to. But on the other side of the crossing, UN officials say armed gangs have been looting incoming supplies, law and orders broken down, and Antoine Renard, local head of the World Food Programme, says it's a daily struggle for survival. The levels of hunger, devastation and destruction we are seeing now in Gaza is worse than ever

before. People cannot cope anymore. There is barely any food coming in while markets are empty. Amid the destruction in Gaza, there's still no end in sight to the war. Just the expectation of more suffering as cold weather sets in. Yuland Nel reporting there. It is a murder case that has gripped Italy and sparked deeper conversations about violence against women in the country. The 23-year-old Filippo Toretta admitted to murdering his ex-girlfriend Giulia Ciacattin in November

of 2023 and now, a court in Venice has decided he will spend the rest of his life in jail. Carla Conti reports. November 11th of 2023. It's a date that Italy will never forget. It was the day that the 22-year-old Giulia Ciacattin became the country's 105th victim of femicide that year, just days before she was supposed to graduate from university. Her body bore the signs of a merciless murder, her head and neck covered with at least 20 deep stab wounds. These were just some of the thousands of text messages sent by Giulia's ex-boyfriend Filippo Turetta before he stabbed her to death and dumped her body in a ditch.

Damn you! I pity you. You have to update me about your day. I can never forgive you. You have to update me about your day and send me pictures all the time. I will make you regret all the evil you have done to me. Now a court in Venice has decided that he will spend the rest of his life in jail for murder, illegal possession of weapons, kidnapping and concealment of a corpse.

Giulia's death shook Italy's conscience, sparking thousands of protests across the country, as well as heated debates on gender-based violence. According to government statistics, one woman is killed by a boyfriend, husband or ex-partner every three days in Italy. But it was Giulia's sister Elena Cecchettin who has turned her sorrow into anger. In her now famous speech, she implored the Italian people to go beyond holding a minute's silence for femicide victims, saying that a cultural revolution is needed to ensure that Giul Julia's case is the last. Karl O'Connor.

Jaslyn Kaur has won this year's Turner Prize, one of the world's most prestigious art awards. The 38-year-old, whose exhibition celebrates the Scottish Sikh community, was praised for gathering different voices through unexpected and playful combinations of material. Our culture editor Katie Razzle was at Tate Britain when the award was handed out. The winner of the 2024 Turner Prize is Jasleen Kaur. Jasleen Kaur is two years younger than the Turner Prize. Now she joins the roll call of winners and is £25,000 richer. Taking the prize on its 40th anniversary is profile raising for an artist who said she didn't even know what

art was as a child. Raised in Glasgow and of Indian Sikh heritage, her work explores who gets to write our histories. Her gallery at Tate Britain included a suspended artificial sky replicating a certain Glaswegian neighbourhood on a particular day, littered with everyday objects including iron brew and Scottish pound notes and a vintage 1980s Ford Escort blaring music and covered in a giant doily. The judges praised the considered way in which she weaves together the personal, political and spiritual. That report by Katie Razzle. And that's all from us for now, but there will be a new edition of the Global News Podcast

later. If you want to comment on this podcast or the topics covered in it, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast.bbc.co.uk. You can also find us on X at Global News Pod. This edition was mixed by Caroline Driscoll. The producer was Liam McSheffrey. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Nick Miles in the Cook Islands, where we're taking a deep dive into the Pacific. This small island nation has grand ambitions

to mine its seabed for metals used in green technology. But a community that's defined by its ocean has found itself at the centre of a global debate. Listen now by searching for the documentary wherever you get your BBC podcasts.