Asia-Pacific

In Pictures: Tense Night in Seoul After President Yoon Suk Yeol Declares Short-Lived Martial Law

AP Photo/Lee Jin-man
Military vehicle is escorted by police officers as people try to block outside of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.

The Japan News

18:10 JST, December 4, 2024

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol surprised his country and the rest of the world when he abruptly declared martial law late on Tuesday, the first such declaration since the country transitioned to democracy in 1987. The decree was lifted only hours later.

The country observed a tense night as troops broke into the National Assembly in Seoul, lawmakers voted to block martial law and people gathered around the building in a show of protest.

Yonhap via REUTERS
A helicopter flies around the National Assembly hall after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in Seoul, South Korea, December 3, 2024.
Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP
People gather to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.
Kim Ju-hyung/Yonhap via AP
South Korea’s main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, center, speaks at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.
Jo Da-un/Yonhap via AP
A National Assembly staff sprays fire extinguishers to block soldiers entering the main hall of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.
REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon
People watch a TV screen broadcasting a news report on South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law and the following announcement that he will lift the martial law, after parliamentary vote, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea, December 4, 2024.
REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
A man reads a newspaper during a rally calling for the expelling of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul, South Korea, December 4, 2024.
AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon
Protesters stage a rally to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. The signs read “Punish.”
AP Photo/Lee Jin-man
South Koreans hold signs reading “Arrest Yoon Suk Yeol” during a rally in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.