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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Raphael Rashid in Seoul

‘Democracy isn’t supposed to work like this’: disbelief in Seoul in wake of martial law upheaval

Cho Tae-ik (조태익) witnessed the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Movement firsthand. His placard calls on President Yoon to resign.
Cho Tae-ik (조태익) witnessed the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Movement firsthand. His placard calls on President Yoon to resign. Photograph: Raphael Rashid/The Guardian

The mood outside South Korea’s parliament was a mix of anger and bewilderment on Wednesday afternoon, hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s shocking, albeit thwarted, declaration of martial law.

The pre-dawn events caught many South Koreans off guard. Those who had slept through it awoke to the news that their democracy had faced its gravest challenge since the 1980s.

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