South Korea Martial Law: DFA Says Filipinos Were Calm

According to DFA, Filipinos during the short-lived South Korea martial law remained calm.

SOUTH KOREA MARTIAL LAW – According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Filipinos are in good condition and remain calm.

Why did South Korea’s president declare martial law?

South Korea Martial Law
Photo from Reuters

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol made a drastic decision on Tuesday night when, out of the blue, he declared martial law through an announcement in a late-night TV broadcast. This is the first time in nearly 50 years in the Asian democratic country that martial law has been declared.

The decision was made due to “anti-state forces” and the threat from North Korea. However, hours after the declaration, the parliament’s vote to lift it prevailed. This vote left Yoon defeated and lifted the order.

South Korean politicians called Yoon’s declaration illegal and unconstitutional and even his own party, the conservative People’s Power Party, believed it was a wrong move.

1979 was the last time South Korea was put under martial law and was not invoked until the country became a parliamentary democracy in 1987.

There are Filipinos in South Korea and according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), they are in good condition. There were massive protests over the declaration but they remained calm.

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega, they were aware of the situation between North and South Korea and were instructed by the embassy to just follow the directives of the local authorities.

There are 78,000 Filipinos there, documented and undocumented migrants, and mostly are working plant and machine operators.

“Yung conditions are special and lahat ng lumalakbay lalo na ‘yung mga nagtatrabaho doon hindi sila nababahala masyado dahil tuloy naman ‘yung kanilang pamumuhay doon kung anumang mangyari,” the official said.

As of this writing, no alert level has been raised and no travel restrictions have been imposed but Filipino tourists are advised to consider the current political climate, most especially if they are to visit the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

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