TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Opposition parties criticized the DPP on Wednesday (Dec. 4) for a statement they said supported South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s surprise decision to declare martial law the day before, though the DPP said this was not its intention.

Yoon said he declared martial law on Tuesday to combat pro-North Korean and anti-state forces from harming South Korea. In the months before the order, Yoon could not progress his government’s agenda due to a divided legislature, his wife was accused of multiple instances of corruption, and his approval ratings fell to 17%, per the BBC.

The DPP caucus published a Threads post after the martial law order was issued and deleted it around 20 minutes later. “Pro-North Korean Forces have controlled the South Korean National Assembly, and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol urgently declared nationwide martial law to protect the free constitutional system,” the post said.

The post also suggested that KMT and TPP lawmakers had unconstitutionally expanded their powers via legal amendments. “Have no doubt, we at Team Taiwan oppose global dark and evil forces encroaching on the country every second and every minute,” the post said.

The DPP replaced the post on Wednesday with one that said the original was written to convey information about the international situation and compare it to Taiwan’s domestic politics. The party noted that it was established during Taiwan’s martial law period and said it did not intend to support martial law.

South Korean opposition legislators overturned the martial law order on Wednesday morning and said they would attempt to impeach Yoon.

The KMT issued a statement on Wednesday that accused the DPP of using South Korea’s martial law to discredit Taiwan’s opposition parties, per Now News. It questioned why the DPP deleted the post without apologizing and called on Lai Ching-te (賴清德) to do so.

The KMT said the statement discredited South Korea’s parliamentary oversight processes. It also accused the DPP of insinuating that opposition-ruling party grievances were a legitimate reason to enforce martial law.

TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said on Wednesday the martial law announcement “shocked the world” and added he hoped South Korea can maintain a stable and democratic constitutional system, per CNA. He said the DPP’s Threads post “trampled on the democratic spirit” and said effective checks and balances are needed to ensure democratic freedom.

Chair of the minor New Power Party Wang Wan-yu (王婉諭) said in a Facebook post she condemned the DPP’s statement despite its withdrawal. She said there may be similarities between the domestic political situations of South Korea and Taiwan, but that no party could legitimately declare martial law.

Wang said political parties should not take martial law lightly or use the idea to create metaphors. “I call on the DPP to formally apologize for this post, otherwise it will tarnish the efforts of our democratic predecessors,” the post read.

The KMT ruled Taiwan under martial law between 1949 and 1987 and on the outlying islands into the early 1990s. The lifting of martial law allowed the DPP to register as a political party and helped Taiwan move towards full democracy.