Opposition lawmakers gather in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday, to call on President Yoon Suk Yeol to resign over his declaration of emergency martial law. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol's sudden declaration of emergency martial law on Tuesday night stunned the nation, leaving many fuming over his rash action, according to political pundits, Wednesday.

In an emergency press briefing broadcast live on Tuesday night, Yoon referred to his political opponents as "pro-North, anti-state forces" and accused them of trying to paralyze his government and undermine the constitutional order. He emphasized that the rationale behind declaring martial law was to "eliminate anti-state forces that have been involved in destructive acts with plans to overthrow the country."

Yoon's sudden declaration of martial law, followed by its rejection by lawmakers about two and a half hours later, came after months of legislative deadlock between the government and the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).

The DPK has been attempting to unilaterally push through a downsized budget proposal in the National Assembly. The proposed budget cuts target the entire allocation for special activity expenses of the presidential office's secretariat and the National Security Office, as well as funds for the prosecution, the state audit agency and the police.

In addition, the DPK filed an impeachment motion against the head of the state audit agency for failing to audit the presidential residence relocation and against three prosecutors for not prosecuting Yoon's wife. The impeachment motion was scheduled for a plenary vote on Wednesday, but was postponed due to the martial law fiasco.

Police stand guard in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Experts said Yoon's political problems and his inability to govern as he wishes have backed him into a corner, leading him to make irrational decisions.

"Yoon must have thought that if he declares emergency martial law, he would be able to suppress the opposition and take control of the government. That is a nonsensical decision. He doesn't seem to understand even the basics of politics and democracy," political commentator Park Sang-byeong said.

Park Chang-hwan, a political commentator and professor at Jangan University, said Yoon's drastic decision was spurred by his growing political isolation and anxiety over governance.

The Yoon administration has been unable to pass the bills it wanted due to strong opposition from the DPK, which controls 170 out of 300 Assembly seats. Yoon has also seen a collapse in his approval ratings followed by several corruption scandals including one involving first lady Kim Keon Hee.

"Despite parliamentary brawls and confrontations, the phrase 'martial law' was long-considered taboo in Korea given our historical trauma. Declaring martial law without discussing the matter with ruling People Power Party (PPP) members and his decree to put the military in charge show how unreasonable Yoon is. He just committed political suicide that not only affects himself but the ruling party as well," the professor said.

"PPP leader Han Dong-hoon and 18 ruling party lawmakers who voted to block Yoon's martial law declaration barely escaped blame, but the rest of the ruling party lawmakers will need to pay the price for just standing on the sidelines. Koreans won't forgive Yoon for what he has done."

A TV screen at Seoul Station shows a news program reporting, Wednesday, about South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of emergency martial law the night before. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Legal experts have pointed out that Yoon's actions constitute a legal overreach, emphasizing that he could face charges of treason as a result.

"There was no justifiable grounds or prerequisite to declaring martial law. Emergency martial law shall be declared only when there is belligerency or serious disturbances of social order that considerably impede the performance of the administrative and judicial functions of the state in time of war, incident or other equivalent national emergency. Yoon also violated the procedural legal principles such as having to notify the National Assembly without delay after declaring martial law," said Kim Seon-taek, a professor of constitutional law at Korea University.

"The military forces entering the Assembly and disrupting its function is an unconstitutional and illegal act. Even though Yoon lifted martial law after accepting the Assembly's vote to reject it, that does not absolve him of violating the Constitution. Yoon's action may amount to treason as it can be viewed as an attempt to disrupt the Constitution."

The opposition bloc said it had begun formalizing plans to press treason charges against Yoon.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, second from left, leaves a room with Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, left, and Education Minister Lee Ju-ho, third from left, after holding an emergency meeting at Government Complex Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap