SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's constitutional court saw the decree, issued by a martial law command last month, unconstitutional, the court's secretary general said Thursday.
Kim Jung-won, secretary general of the constitutional court, told lawmakers during the National Assembly's plenary session that the martial law decree "does not conform to the current constitution."
The impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol declared an emergency martial law on the night of Dec. 3 last year, but it was revoked by the National Assembly hours later.
Following the declaration, the martial law command issued a decree to ban all political activities relevant to the National Assembly, local councils and political parties as well as political gatherings and rallies.
Kim said it would be difficult to implement it under normal circumstances, noting that whether it was constitutional had been under review.
The secretary general added that other items of the decree were unconstitutional.
The decree banned fake news, public opinion manipulation and false incitement, allowing the martial law command to control all media and publishers.
Any strike, go-slow and assembly that promote social unrest were prohibited, while all medical personnel who had been on strike, such as resident doctors, were ordered to return to their jobs within 48 hours.
Violators of the decree will be arrested, detained and seized without a warrant and be punished under martial law, according to the decree. ■
