COUNTRY ON LOCKDOWN
South Korea’s president declares MARTIAL LAW in emergency TV address to the nation after ‘pro-North Korean threats’
President Yoon Suk Yeol's decision comes after North Korea branded him the 'vicious main culprit'
SOUTH Korea's president has declared martial law in the country to flush out "pro-North Korean" elements.
In a late-night emergency TV address, President Yoon Suk Yeol said the step was "critical for defending the country's constitutional order".
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Violent scenes erupted outside the National Assembly building in Seoul after the military issued an order saying all activities at the parliament and parties are banned.
Footage showed cops blocking the entrance and helmeted soldiers carrying rifles in front of the main building to stop crowds pouring through the gates.
It's understood three military helicopters landed inside the grounds as pictures showed two circling above the site.
In an emergency TV address on Tuesday, Yoon accused the country's opposition party of controlling the parliament, being pro-North Korea and paralysing the government with anti-state activities.
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He said: "I declare martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces, to eradicate the despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people, and to protect the free constitutional order."
The military was mobilised and attempted to storm the country's parliament building after the president's shock announcement.
South Korean troops have now started to leave the parliament after the chamber voted to revoke the Yoon's martial law decree, according to reports.
Despite this vote, the president has not formally lifted the martial law decree, according to the defence ministry.
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Yoon's own ruling party has desperately urged him to lift the law, defying it's leader's own orders.
South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae-myung declared the president's move as "illegal and invalid" and urged police and soldiers to stand down.
He threatened that anybody who followed Yoon's declaration would be seen as an "accomplice."
Clashes between civilians and cops broke out outside the country's parliament, local media reports.
A person claiming to be an active soldier in the army said: "Hey, f***, I'm an active-duty soldier who didn't turn in my phone, and they just woke me up and put me in combat gear."
And the military reportedly ordered the country's striking doctors to return to work within 48 hours.
The military said anyone who violates the order could be arrested without a warrant.
Lee Jae-myung's Democratic party urged the public to gather outside the National Assembly.
Since taking office in 2022, Mr Yoon has struggled to push through his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament.
Yoon's conservative People Power Party had been in a deadlock with the opposition Democratic Party over next year's budget bill.
He has also been dismissing calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife and top officials - drawing strong rebukes from his political rivals.
The Democratic Party reportedly called an emergency meeting of its lawmakers following Yoon's announcement.
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Lee, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 election, said during a live stream: "President Yoon Suk Yeol's illegal imposition of martial law is invalid.
“Please come to the National Assembly now. I am heading there as well."
The White House said it was "closely" monitoring the situation - and China's embassy in Seoul warned its citizens to exercise "caution" and "remain calm".
The UK has also issued a travel advisory - urging Brits in the country "to avoid political demonstrations".
The decision to impose martial law comes after North Korea branded Yoon the "vicious main culprit" - blaming him for the hostile situation between the two nations.
A picture was displayed at the centre of Pyongyang that showed Suk Yeol visiting a military unit.
The picture was captioned: "The venomous remarks of scoundrel Yoon Suk Yeol causing destruction.
"The vicious main culprit of the confrontation mentality against the Republic."
The display targeted South Korea’s alliance with the US, describing it as an “aggressive treaty”.
It was not immediately clear how long Yoon's martial law declaration could last.
Under South Korean law, martial law can be lifted with a majority vote in parliament - where the opposition Democratic Party holds a majority.
South Korea and North Korea have been archenemies for decades.
In recent years, border tensions have soared between the two nations who are technically still at war as a peace treaty was never signed after the 1950-1953 Korean War.
Pyongyang has amended its constitution to declare South Korea a “hostile state”.
Dictator Kim Jong-un has pulled out of treaties, demolished unification monuments, and blown up road and railway links connecting the two nations, sparking military tensions.
A Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was created to separate the two countries.
What is martial law?
MARTIAL law is the temporary replacement of a civilian government with military rule - typically during war or major disasters.
Historically, it has been brought in after coups, during protests, to suppress political dissent or stabilise insurrections.
It involves the military taking control of the normal legal system and control of civilians.
Ordinary laws and civil liberties may be suspended under martial law.
It is a drastic measure with significant implications for individual freedoms and the rule of law.
While it's meant to be temporary, martial law can be indefinite.
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It is one of the most heavily mined places on Earth - strewn with landmines to deter enemy troops.
In recent months, tensions have also grown over balloons of trash floated from North Korea, which Pyongyang says are a response to balloons carrying anti-regime leaflets sent by activists in the South.
Earlier this year, South Korea fired warning shots at North Korean soldiers twice in one week after troops crossed the border.
Meanwhile, deranged dictator Kim has been laying more landmines, reinforcing roads and adding what looks like anti-tank barriers on the South's doorstep.
Satellite images suggest the North is also building new defence lines right on the border - risking "escalation" and "bloodshed", experts have warned.
And Kim has been intensifying weapons tests as the US, South Korea and Japan host a flurry of war games in the region.
In a brazen intimidation move, North Korea sent a wave of 260 filthy faeces-filled balloons to South Korea.
Speaking to The Sun, Michael Madden, director and founder of NK Leadership Watch, said a "serious escalation" on the Korean peninsula would be triggered by "several days of incidents near the border".
These "incidents" - including shots being fired - would unfold "for a period of about five days to a week before a serious escalation in tensions".
This could then spark a "strategic miscalculation which could incite a larger conflict".
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"There are a number of tripwires and forums before it would reach that point," he added.
Armed with an arsenal of nukes and chemical weapons, experts have warned a war with tyrant Kim Jong-un could be one of the bloodiest in history.
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