Seoul citizens, holding signs reading "Oppose Martial Law" and "End Martial Law," shouted slogans such as "Open the gates" and "Withdraw martial law," expressing their anger and frustration.
SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Late Tuesday night and into the early hours of Wednesday, large crowds of South Koreans gathered outside the National Assembly building in Seoul to protest against the emergency martial law issued by President Yoon Suk-yeol.
In a televised emergency address on late Tuesday, Yoon said he issued the martial law order to eradicate anti-state forces and uphold free constitutional order, marking the first martial law declaration since the country's military dictatorship ended in the late 1980s.
The president criticized the parliament for paralyzing state affairs by attempting to impeach government officials, launch a special prosecutor's team for investigation into scandals involving the first lady and protect the opposition leader from legal risks.
The sudden imposition of martial law made it clear that Seoul was in for a sleepless night. Following the martial law order, the main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea, called for lawmakers to head toward the National Assembly to discuss countermeasures.
Xinhua's reporters witnessed that numerous police vehicles surrounded the parliament building. At around midnight Tuesday, martial law troops began entering the building. By approximately 00:22 a.m. Wednesday, the troops had sealed the main gates and started setting up barricades. Ordinary vehicles were prohibited from passing, and groups of police officers were deployed to maintain order.
Seoul's citizens, holding signs reading "Oppose Martial Law" and "End Martial Law," shouted slogans such as "Open the gates" and "Withdraw martial law," expressing their anger and frustration.
Park Chan-bin, a member of the opposition Social Democratic Party, told Xinhua on-site that "this unprecedented martial law has brought many citizens here to express their opposition and make their voices heard."
A 60-year-old taxi driver at the scene was visibly angry, saying, "The country has gone crazy. The vast majority of South Koreans cannot possibly support martial law. This will only further lower Yoon Suk-yeol's approval ratings."
"Life is already hard enough as it is. Martial law will severely disrupt the normal functioning of society. How are small business owners and individual merchants supposed to survive under these conditions," he said indignantly.
By early morning on Wednesday, the National Assembly managed to convene a meeting. All 190 attending lawmakers unanimously voted in favor of a resolution demanding the revocation of the martial law order. Upon hearing the news, the gathered citizens erupted in cheers, chanting "End Martial Law!"
After that, the crowd outside the parliament building gradually left. However, some people remained, continuing to shout and demand an explanation from the president for the emergency martial law order. ■
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