South Korea’s opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung, who was the main rival of Yoon Suk Yeol in the 2022 presidential election, made headlines when he filmed himself climbing over a fence to enter the parliament building on Tuesday night. This dramatic incident occurred as lawmakers rushed to vote against the president’s martial law decree.
Lee, the leader of the liberal Democratic Party, took to YouTube to livestream his journey to the National Assembly after the president's announcement. The video captured him approaching a fence, scaling it, and then making his way into the parliament building to reach his office.
The video quickly gained traction, amassing over 2 million views on YouTube and more than 13 million views on the social platform X.
On the same night, nearly 300 armed troops were dispatched to the scene. Reports indicated that they attempted to enter the parliamentary grounds through various means, including climbing over walls and breaking windows to gain access. Lawmakers engaged in clashes with some of the troops, ultimately pushing their way into the building for an emergency late-night session.
Following a unanimous vote by parliament to block the decree, the soldiers began to withdraw. President Yoon subsequently agreed to lift martial law after his Cabinet approved the decision.
