The South Korean capital of Seoul appears to have descended into chaos as opposition parties successfully stormed the National Assembly building to hold a vote to end President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law. Late Tuesday evening in the East Asian nation, Yoon—apparently in an attempt to head off an impeachment vote and corruption probe—accused opposition parties in the South Korean parliament of colluding with communist North Korea, declaring martial law with the backing of the military.
At first I thought that South Korea had declared “marital law.”
I thought:
“Great! They really need to improve their abysmal 0.72 total fertility rate.”
Then I saw that they had just declared martial law and I went back to not really caring. pic.twitter.com/gzCShztYXX
— Jeremy Carl (@realJeremyCarl) December 3, 2024
In the aftermath of Yoon’s declaration, the streets of Seoul became chaotic, with citizens demonstrating and clashing with both the military and police. President Yoon’s chief political rival, Lee Jae-myung, posted a video declaring Yoon no longer the country’s leader.
South Korean leader of the opposition Lee Jae-myung:
Yoon Suk Yeol is no longer the president of South Korea. pic.twitter.com/kdSlO5Ikg9
— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 3, 2024
Opposition lawmakers in the parliament were filmed attempting to hold back a surge of military personnel attempting to enter the National Assembly building, with some reports suggesting Yoon had landed special forces on the building’s roof. In other footage, South Korean military personnel can be seen pointing their guns at protestors.
🚨🇰🇷SOUTH KOREAN MILITARY POINTS GUNS AT CITIZENS DURING MARTIAL LAW
Footage shows South Korean military personnel aiming guns at a civilian following President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law.
Source: OhmyTV https://t.co/IZlz91U27N pic.twitter.com/jgwNruQAWL
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 3, 2024
Another video from around the legislature shows opposition party members climbing a fence as they fight to enter the building and hold a vote against the marital law declaration. Eventually, around 190 lawmakers gathered on the floor of the parliament and unanimously voted to lift President Yoon’s declaration. However, at the moment, it is unclear whether Yoon or the military will view the vote as legitimate.
South Korea is home to many U.S. military bases, including Camp Humphreys, which is the largest U.S. overseas base in the world.
🚨🇰🇷 MILITARY BLOCKS LAWMAKERS FROM ENTERING SOUTH KOREAN PARLIAMENT
South Korean military forces have cordoned off the National Assembly, barring lawmakers from entering to prevent them from canceling the martial law by majority vote.pic.twitter.com/Imp1mswGpm https://t.co/Ts3QBTZLNW
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 3, 2024
