Republic of Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol announced through a televised address around 4:27 am on Wednesday that he had decided to accept his parliament's request to lift martial law in the country. The decision came just about six hours after he had imposed martial law, at 10:25 pm on Tuesday.

Later, several senior advisers in the ROK government announced their resignations, while the nation's largest opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, held an emergency parliamentary meeting and asked Yoon to immediately step down or face impeachment.

The incident is indicative of serious divisions in ROK politics. Yoon and his wife Kim Keon-hee are at the center of a political scandal for allegedly trying to influence the ruling People Power Party to pick a certain candidate to run for a parliamentary by-election in 2022.

The opposition party's push to pass legislation targeting her and to impeach public officials, including prosecutors, may have pushed Yoon to declare martial law. However, his decision met severe challenges as Lee Jae-myung, head of the main opposition party, held a live televised address in parliament, while 190 lawmakers entered parliament and voted to lift the martial law.

The development casts a shadow on Yoon's political career. His approval rating in a recent poll stood at just 17 percent, while the main opposition party led by Lee continues its attack against the Yoon administration.

In April, the opposition Democratic Party of Korea registered a landslide victory in legislative elections, securing 175 of the 300 seats together with its allies. In the party leadership election in August, Lee Jae-myung was reelected and has now set his sights on the next presidential election.

On Nov 25, the Seoul Central District Court acquitted Lee of charges that he persuaded a witness to lie in court to understate his past criminal conviction, a breather for him from legal troubles that threaten to derail his political career. Prosecutors have decided to appeal against the ruling, but some argue it is a "political trial" aimed at eliminating the political opposition.

While the opposition is actively mobilizing supporters to hold rallies in protest, calling for President Yoon's impeachment and early presidential polls, the political divide continues to widen and it's the ROK, society and its people that suffer.

CHINA NEWS SERVICE