Close menu

Learning English from the News

Upper intermediate level

South Korea's martial law crisis

Episode 241204 / 04 Dec 2024

(Photo: South Korean Presidential Office via Getty Images)

____________________________________________________________________________

Download a free worksheet!
____________________________________________________________________________

The story

South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, asking the armed forces to suspend normal democratic freedoms, for example being able to protest.

Yoon said martial law was needed because of threats from North Korea. But critics say Yoon wanted to use martial law as a response to scandals and problems he faces.

The armed forces were unable to stop National Assembly members voting against this measure.

Facing opposition, president Yoon ended the state of martial law just hours after it had been declared.

President Yoon is now facing calls to resign, and the opposition has launched an attempt to impeach him. 

News headlines

Political chaos in South Korea: what is martial law and what comes next after Yoon Suk Yeol’s U-turn?
The Guardian

Korea’s Yoon, backpedaling, promises to lift martial law
Politico

South Korea’s Yoon Ends Martial Law After Political Gamble
Bloomberg

Key words and phrases

U-turn
a reversed decision

  • The council made a U-turn on their decision to close the swimming pool after local protests.

backpedalling
deciding not to do a thing you had started or said you were going to do

  • Juan said he was going to paint the house at the weekend, but now he's backpedalling and saying it'll be the week after.

gamble 
a risky strategy

  • The president’s gamble to call an early election paid off. She won easily.

Next

Learn more English vocabulary from the news with our News Review archive.

Latest Learning English from the News

Takeaways

Download PDF
Download Audio

Podcast

Learning English from the News