(3 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Seoul – 4 December 2024
1. SOUNDBITE (English) John Nilsson-Wright, head of Japan and Koreas Programme, Centre for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge:
“President Yoon (South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol) seems to have made an announcement that suggests without any tangible evidence that the threat from North Korea, allied with opposition political forces, has required him to take this unprecedented action. I would interpret this as a response to his increasingly beleaguered domestic political position. I do not believe that the claim that this is prompted by a North Korean threat to South Korean democracy is valid. This appears to be a pretext.”
++BLACK FRAMES++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) John Nilsson-Wright, head of Japan and Koreas Programme, Centre for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge:
“The National Assembly, where the opposition Democratic Party has a clear majority confirmed in the National Assembly elections earlier this year, has, I think, been seeking to find a way to expose what they claim are the corruption surrounding the president, particularly allegations that the president’s wife was involved in insider trading. And as part of this, the opposition has sought to impeach the prosecutors who were responsible for investigating those allegations. This, I think, has been the reason why President Yoon has decided to act in order to short circuit that process.”
++BLACK FRAMES++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) John Nilsson-Wright, head of Japan and Koreas Programme, Centre for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge:
“We’ve just seen the announcement, the confirmation that they have voted decisively, 190 to zero to annul that martial law declaration, which means it’s now constitutionally no longer valid. The fact that the military that have been deployed, seemingly to prevent the National Assembly from convening, have now retreated in the face of that public effort to support the institutions of democratic governance is also a reassuring sign. And there doesn’t seem to be any clear indication that the military is rallying behind the president or the police, for that matter.“
++BLACK FRAMES++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) John Nilsson-Wright, head of Japan and Koreas Programme, Centre for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge:
“There is is, I think, reassuringly, plenty of evidence that media organisations are continuing to do what they need to do as the fourth estate, which is to hold the president to account, to provide clear, transparent information. And we’ve just seen Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the opposition, come out and say very unambiguously, not only is martial law invalid, but any police officer or military official who acts to support the president’s actions would be in breach of the law. And I think that’s an indication of the confidence of the opposition. And I hope that the institutional safeguards of government will continue to operate. It’s unclear, however, what President Yoon will do in the face of this, I think, strong reaction against his order.”
++BLACK FRAMES++
5. SOUNDBITE (English) John Nilsson-Wright, head of Japan and Koreas Programme, Centre for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge:
++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol decision to declare martial law late was made as a response to his “increasingly beleaguered domestic political position,” an analyst said on Tuesday.
===========================================================
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/c05c1ab66bea4d19a2654855bfbb6667
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in December 8, 2024, 9:05 pm.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
