South Korean President says he will lift martial law
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has announced that he will move to lift a martial law declaration he had imposed just several hours ago.
This comes as lawmakers voted unanimously to lift the president’s martial law decree, with 190 of its 300 members present.
Key events
The day so far
Right now, it is 6 am local time on Wednesday in South Korea, and here are some key developments from the last few hours, in case you missed it:
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The country’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol has now said that he will lift the martial law declaration he had imposed just several hours before.
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Yoon also said that troops had withdrawn from the National Assembly.
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The lifting of martial law has now been approved by a vote of his cabinet.
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The announcement from Yoon came after lawmakers voted unanimously to lift the president’s martial law decree several hours ago, with 190 of its 300 members present.
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Many of the protesters who were demonstrating outside the General Assembly all night trickled out of the area, Reuters reports.
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Cho Kuk the head of a minor opposition party has vowed to impeach Yoon by putting together votes from other parties.
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The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions announced that they are going on an “indefinite general strike” until Yoon resigns.
What happened in the hours before that?
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This all began Tuesday night local time when Yoon declared an “emergency martial law” during a televised briefing.
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He accused the country’s opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathising with North Korea and paralysing the government with anti-state activities.
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South Korea’s main opposition, the Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, then called on all its lawmakers to meet and assemble at the national assembly.
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The country’s military then announced a suspension of all parliamentary activity, and under martial law, political activities are banned, protests are prohibited, and media is censored.
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Thousands of protesters gathered outside the general assembly building as police blocked the entrance.
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About 190 lawmakers then assembled and voted unanimously to lift the president’s martial law decree.
Here are some more photos from Seoul of the events that have unfolded over the last few hours:
As it approaches 6 am local time in Seoul, a lot of the protesters are trickling out of the Parliament area, Reuters is reporting.
After the announcement that the martial law would be lifted, many protesters left, a reporter on the ground for Reuters said.
Cho Kuk, the head of a minor opposition party, met and spoke with protesters outside the parliament.
“This isn’t over,” he said.
“He put all the people in shock” he added. “The president is a dangerous being … threatening democracy and constitution.”
He vowed to impeach Yoon by putting together votes from other parties.
Cabinet agrees to lift martial law – report
The cabinet has agreed to lift martial law, according to Yonhap news agency reports.
South Koreans protesting outside the National Assembly are seen celebrating as Yoon says he will lift martial law.
According to reporters on the ground with Agence France-Presse, moments after South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk Yeol, announced he would lift the martial law people outside the National Assembly celebrated.
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol said that he will lift martial law after he convenes his cabinet for a meeting, which is expected to take place in the next few hours.
Yoon also said that troops had withdrawn from the National Assembly.
The Pentagon has said that the US and South Korean militaries are “in contact” but noted that there has been no request for assistance from Seoul amid the unfolding events.
Pentagon spokesperson Maj Gen Patrick Ryder stated during a news briefing that he also did not believe the martial law declaration had any significant impact so far on the approximately 28,500 US troops deployed to South Korea.
South Korean President says he will lift martial law
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has announced that he will move to lift a martial law declaration he had imposed just several hours ago.
This comes as lawmakers voted unanimously to lift the president’s martial law decree, with 190 of its 300 members present.
Here’s our short video report of scenes in South Korea following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law, and the subsequent vote by the country’s lawmakers to invalidate his order.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions announced that they are going on an “indefinite general strike” until “the resignation of Yoon Suk Yeol”.
In a post on Facebook, the confederation, which has more than 1 million members, said that they will be holding a Central Executive Committee press conference at 8.00am local time – which is in three and a half hours – and that they “will commence an indefinite general strike until the Yoon Suk Yeol regime steps down”.
The union members will “stop work in accordance with the general strike directive and carry out nationwide emergency action for the abolition of martial law, the resignation of Yoon Suk Yeol for the crime of insurrection, social reform, and the realization of people’s sovereignty” the statement adds.
The statement also said that union members in the capital region will gather at Seoul Gwanghwamun Square at 9.00am local time, and regional members will gather at locations designated by their regional headquarters.
Here is a video report of when South Korean soldiers were seen early on Wednesday entering the parliament building in Seoul through smashed windows.
It happened shortly after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on Tuesday night, creating the most serious challenge to South Korea’s democracy since the 1980s as lawmakers rejected the move in a vote and protesters gathered outside Parliament.
