There were also tense moments, with martial law troops entering the National Assembly building throughout the night and physically clashing with opposition spokesmen.
President Yoon was present at the presidential office in Yongsan at around 4:27 p.m. on the same day.
"At 11 o'clock last night, we declared emergency martial law with a resolute determination to save the nation, in opposition to the anti-national forces that are trying to paralyze the essential functions of the state and destroy the constitutional order of liberal democracy," the broadcast said.
"However, the National Assembly requested that martial law be lifted, and we therefore withdrew the troops that had been deployed to carry out martial law operations. Through the Cabinet Council, we have accepted the National Assembly's request and will lift the martial law," he said.
Prior to this, President Yoon had declared martial law the previous night, after which Minister of National Defense Kim Young-hyun held a meeting of military commanders and ordered all troops to be on high alert and
Shortly after, armored vehicles were deployed and military HYERI planes flew overhead as lawmakers gathered in Parliament to pass a resolution calling for the end of martial law.
Just after midnight, martial law troops wearing black military uniforms, camouflage-patterned tactical gear, night vision goggles, and armed with firearms attempted to enter the National Assembly.
Clashes with citizens who had gathered in front of the National Assembly to protest the declaration of martial law occurred, and Ahn Gwi-ryong, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Korea, grabbed the barrel of a gun held by a martial law soldier and shouted, "Shame on me."
The martial law troops then retreated and were seen pointing their guns at Ahn. The martial law troops then broke the windows of the National Assembly and climbed over them to enter the building.
The military clashed with the National Assembly aides who tried to prevent them from entering the National Assembly by spraying fire extinguishers and blocking the entrances with furniture.
The martial law troops withdrew from the National Assembly after the passage of a resolution demanding the lifting of the emergency martial law, which was deemed to have lost its legal force. The Democratic Party of Korea said that the martial law troops had stormed into the office of Chairman Lee Jae-myung.
Cho Seung-rye, chief spokesman for the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "Security cameras have confirmed that the Capital Defense Command's special task force was trying to arrest and detain Lee when the military stormed the National Assembly.
"After reviewing the video, we also found that they were trying to arrest Lee, People Power Party Chairman Han Dong-hoon, and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik," he said.
"Under the constitution, the power to lift martial law rests with the National Assembly, but this is intended to convey that while the president can declare martial law, the National Assembly should decide whether to maintain it," Cho said.
"He called the attempt to neutralise this a coup and a plot against civil war," he said.
2024/12/04 07:08 KST
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