South Korea’s Lee Says Martial Law Clean-up Not Yet Complete on First Anniversary

Reuters

11:20 JST, December 3, 2025

SEOUL, Dec 3 (Reuters) – South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday there was still work left to deal with the fallout of the failed martial law bid one year ago and ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice.

The attempt to impose martial law by former President Yoon Suk Yeol threatened to deal an irreparable setback to the country, but the people rose up and stopped the military with their bare hands, Lee said in an address marking the first anniversary of the shock announcement by his predecessor.

“The recklessness of those who tried to destroy the constitutional order and even plan a war all for their personal ambition must be brought to justice,” he said.

Yoon’s martial law declaration plunged a country that had been celebrated as one of the success stories of democratic resilience into months of political turmoil just as U.S. President Donald Trump’s moves to slap tariffs on global trading partners rattled South Korea, an export-heavy economy.

Yoon was later ousted and Lee, a political rival who lost to Yoon in 2022, won a snap election in June with a mandate to steer the country out of the shock of martial law, as those who were accused of being involved were arrested and tried for subversion.

Lee said he will propose designating December 3 a national holiday to celebrate the role of the people in quelling the martial law bid and that they deserved to be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize.