Martial Law Declaration Turns National Assembly into Chaos... Entry and Control Personnel Entangled

At around 11 p.m. on the 3rd, when President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, chaos erupted at the main gate of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul, as police clashed with people trying to enter the premises.

On the afternoon of the 3rd, when martial law was declared, police were controlling access in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Gong Byung-seon

At 10:50 p.m., ten minutes before 11 p.m., police officers arrived one after another and formed two lines surrounding the main gate of the National Assembly. Members of the Democratic Party of Korea, their aides, and other National Assembly staff confronted the police at the main gate to enter the building immediately after martial law was declared. Around 11:08 p.m., when a man jumped over the fence and entered the premises, police who failed to stop him ran in pursuit to catch him. When the police, who were blocking the gate with their bodies without closing the door, tried to completely seal off the main gate, the staff shouted curses and argued, asking, "Why can't we get in?"

Some staff members, shedding tears, called someone and said, "We are completely unable to get in." Around 11:15 p.m., aides and police pushed and shoved each other in a physical confrontation. Then, the policy was changed to allow people wearing ID badges to enter through a small door on the right side of the National Assembly vehicle entrance. Around 11:47 p.m., two helicopters were hovering over the National Assembly.

On the afternoon of the 3rd, when martial law was declared, police were controlling access in front of the National Assembly building in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Gong Byung-seon

Members of the People Power Party convened an emergency party meeting at their Yeouido headquarters and are currently moving to the National Assembly Members' Office Building. Members of the Democratic Party of Korea are gathering in the main chamber to attend the plenary session.