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Police stand guard in front of the main gate of the National Assembly in Seoul on December 3, 2024, after South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law. South Korea President Yoon on December 3 declared emergency martial law, saying the step was necessary to protect the country from “communist forces” amid parliamentary wrangling over a budget bill.
Jung Yeon-je | Afp | Getty Images
South Korean stocks dropped in the U.S. on Tuesday after President Yoon Suk Yeol invoked emergency powers and declared martial law, raising fear of instability in the world’s 13th largest economy.
The iShares MSCI South Korea ETF, which tracks more than 90 large and mid-sized companies in South Korea, tumbled 6% to hit a 52-week low.
Korea Electric Power’s American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) dropped 5%, and Korean e-commerce giant Coupang shed 6%. KT Corporation, formerly Korea Telecom, saw shares fall 3%. Posco, a South Korean steel manufacturer, declined more than 6%.
The president accused opposition parties of sympathizing with North Korea and controlling parliament. Yoon did not specify how martial law — a temporary rule by military authorities in a time of emergency — would affect governance and democracy in the country.
Under the martial law declaration, all political activities and acts that “incite social disorder” are prohibited. This is the first time since 1980 a South Korean leader has issued a martial law declaration.
The Korea Exchange announced it would hold an emergency meeting “to prepare response measures” and later decide whether the market would open on Wednesday, according to local media reports.
The U.S. dollar jumped 1.9% against the South Korean won Tuesday.
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