South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol Declares Martial Law

On Tuesday, Dec. 3, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared “emergency martial law.” His reason is to “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.”

During a televised speech, he stated, “Through this martial law, I will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into the abyss of national ruin. To this end, I will definitely eradicate the anti-state forces who are the main culprit of country’s ruination and conduct vicious activities.”

Watch the televised speech below:

On Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 1:00 a.m. local time in Seoul, CNN (via Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo) reported lawmakers unanimously voted to block the president’s martial law decree. Dozens of troops that had entered the main parliamentary building began to withdraw.

This is a developing story.