This is CBS Eye on the World. Here's John Batchelor.

Gregory Copley, editor and publisher of Defense and Foreign Affairs. He's traveling. He's in London, but I call upon him to comment on fresh turmoil in Asia, North Asia, this time.

The Financial Times reporting, South Korean President Yun, declares martial law.

Opposition calls lawmakers to Parliament as Yun pledges to, quote, eliminate anti-state forces, filling in the detail,

South Korea's conservative president, Yun Sukyo, has declared martial law accusing the left-wing

block in his legislature that controls the National Assembly of North Korean, accusing them of

North Korean sympathies and plotting rebellion,

Yun, a hardline former chief prosecutor, says the Financial Times, said in a late-night

television address that he would, quote, eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible

and normalize the country. Gregory, this is so fresh. What I'm reminded of is the general

observation that martial law is mighty easy to get into and mighty difficult to get out of. How do you

read this turmoil in North Asia? Do we look at Pyongyang? Do we look at Beijing? Does it suit their purposes?

Good evening to you.

Good evening, John.

Well, yes, it is easy to get into martial law,

but it's never undertaken lightly in a major country.

And President Yun has definitely been literally governing with one arm behind his back at least.

It shows the weakness in the presidential Republican system when the president is elected

with a mandate to govern, and yet the parliament is elected to a foreign, sorry, to an opposition party.

So you can't get laws through and the parliament can create all manner of chaos.

And the president is left, in a sense, unable to fulfill his mandate.

And that's where President Yun is right now.

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