Why did the President declare emergency martial law now?

[Anchor]

President Yoon, who has always emphasized liberal democracy, has declared emergency martial law.

However, it seems that allies were few and preparations were inadequate.

Many citizens find it hard to understand the president's actions, no matter how much they think about it.

We must examine why the president made such a choice.

Reporter Kim Min-cheol reports.

[Report]

President Yoon Suk Yeol has dramatically declared emergency martial law for the first time in 45 years.

He strongly criticized the opposition's repeated impeachment motions and the unilateral passing of next year's budget cuts as legislative dictatorship and budget tyranny.

[Yoon Suk Yeol President/Yesterday/'Emergency Martial Law Declaration' Address: "The lives of the people are not taken into account, and the government is paralyzed due to impeachments, special investigations, and the opposition leader's bulletproofing."]

He emphasized the need to eradicate anti-state forces and protect the free constitutional order.

[Yoon Suk Yeol President/Yesterday: "I will surely eradicate the anti-state forces that have committed atrocities and are the root cause of the nation's downfall."]

It remains unclear who the anti-state forces President Yoon identified as targets for eradication are, what the basis for such a judgment is, and whether the situation is significant enough to warrant the invokation of emergency martial law.

This has led to analyses suggesting that he may have attempted to shift the situation through a form of shock therapy.

[Park Sung-min/Political Consulting Min Representative/CBS Radio 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show': "By throwing a shockwave, the president might be trying to show that he can use this shock therapy according to the procedures granted by the constitution, in order to politically draw the opposition to the table…."]

Some have even raised suspicions that President Yoon felt pressured by the request for a special investigation made by political broker Myung Tae-kyun.

[Lee Jun-seok/Reform Party Member/CBS Radio 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show': "(Mr. Myung Tae-kyun) is expressing his intention to actively provide (materials)… Perhaps President Yoon has obtained such intelligence and realized that he cannot withstand this in a normal way…."]

Democratic Party Supreme Council Member Kim Min-seok, who first raised suspicions about the current government's attempt at martial law, claimed it was due to President Yoon's abnormal judgment.

[Kim Min-seok/Democratic Party Supreme Council Member/MBC Radio 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus': "I believe he is not in a state to make normal judgments. It all started from Kim Keon-hee's abnormal obsession with power."]

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has postponed the vote on the impeachment motion against the Chair of the Board of Audit and Inspection and the Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, which was scheduled for today (Dec. 4).

KBS News, Kim Min-cheol.