After the opposition-led National Assembly voted to demand the revocation of martial law declared by President Yoon Suk Yeol late Tuesday, airborne troops withdrew from the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul, early Wednesday, amidst applause and growing calls from citizens demanding the president’s impeachment.
The martial law declaration, made at 10:30 p.m., sparked immediate public outrage, with hundreds of people assembling at the National Assembly and demanding its repeal.
At approximately 12:30 a.m., around 20 armed soldiers landed on the Assembly’s main building via three to five helicopters. However, following the Assembly’s vote to lift the martial law, the soldiers promptly withdrew.
“This martial law is illegal. However, the soldiers were assembled because they must follow the president’s order,” a woman in her 50s told The Korea Herald on condition of anonymity.
A 42-year-old Seoul resident surnamed Kim voiced similar frustrations, saying, “This is outrageous. I can’t understand why martial law was suddenly declared.”
After the revocation of martial law, many citizens remained in front of the National Assembly building, chanting “Arrest Yoon Suk Yeol” and “Impeach Yoon Suk Yeol.”
