Protesters clashed with police after attempting to storm the South Korean Parliament after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law on Tuesday.
President Yeol, who is part of the People Power Party, is accusing the opposition, Democratic Party, of blocking government operations, sympathizing with North Korea, and engaging in anti-state activities, the Associated Press reported.
"Through this martial law, I will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into the depths of national ruin," Yoon said during a televised speech per the AP.
Video on social media showed protesters attempting to storm into the South Korean Parliament while law enforcement blocked the entrance.
‼️ Korean police blocked the entrance to the South Korean assembly
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) December 3, 2024
People are clashing with cops trying to break into the premises of the South Korean Parliament.
Martial Law commander, army general Park An-soo, says all media are now under military censorship. All political... pic.twitter.com/57kjUwbNgC
Yeol's declaration comes amid a political impasse with the opposition-controlled parliament over the 2025 budget bill and attempts to impeach key prosecutors, said the news outlet.
The declaration of martial law has deepened the country's political divide, sparking more protests throughout South Korea as seen in a video posted on X by NEXTA, an eastern European media company.
All political activities are banned under the declaration.
While Yeol said he would eliminate "pro-North Korean forces" and protect South Korea's constitutional order, the opposition claims that his martial law declaration was illegal and unconstitutional, according to the Associated Press.
The leader of his own conservative party, Han Dong-hoon, said the declaration was "wrong" and said he would "stop it with the people."
The opposition has also accused Yoon of retaliation in response to his handling of corruption investigations about his family and top officials.
With martial law imposed, all military units in the South, which remains technically at war with the nuclear-armed North, have been ordered to strengthen their emergency alert and readiness postures, Yonhap news agency reported.
The imposition of emergency martial law comes as Yoon's approval rating dropped to 19 percent in the latest Gallup poll last week, with many expressing dissatisfaction over his handling of the economy and controversies involving his wife, Kim Keon Hee, the AFP reported.
