South Korea Martial Law declaration [ news ]
On 3 December 2024, at 22:27 Korea Standard Time (KST), Yoon Suk Yeol, the president of South Korea, declared martial law during a televised address. In his declaration, Yoon accused the Democratic Party (DPK), which has a majority in the National Assembly, of conducting "anti-state activities" and collaborating with "North Korean communists" to destroy the country, thereby creating a "legislative dictatorship". The order prohibited political activities, including gatherings of the National Assembly and local legislatures, and suspended the free press. Separately, Yoon reportedly ordered the arrest of various political opponents, including the leaders of the DPK and his own People Power Party (PPP). This event was widely characterized by Korean politicians and news organizations, both international and domestic, as an attempted self-coup.
Around 11 pm that same day, I drove to the National Assembly to document the events as they happened. A few minutes after I joined the protestors in front of the gates, I witnessed the army helicopters landing on the roof of the National Assembly. Even thou between the protesters, the police, and the military, the situation was chaotic, people remained mostly calm. A few hours later, the assembly voted against the martial law and 10 days later, the president was impeached.
Some of my footage on ABC news