Kim Kyung-il, Mayor of Paju, "Unlawful Martial Law is Fundamentally Invalid"

All Senior Officials Grade 5 and Above Summoned
Emergency Standby to Ensure Citizen Safety

On December 3rd at 10:23 PM, Kim Kyung-il, the mayor of Paju City, issued a statement on Facebook declaring that "the unlawful martial law is null and void" following President Yoon Seok-yeol's proclamation of martial law. He urgently convened all Paju City officials at grade 5 and above for emergency standby and held an emergency countermeasure meeting to ensure the safety of citizens amid the rapidly unfolding situation.

On the 3rd at 10:23 PM, Kim Kyung-il, Mayor of Paju City, issued a statement on Facebook saying, "An unlawful martial law is null and void," following President Yoon Seok-yeol's declaration of martial law. He has also summoned all Paju City officials of grade 5 and above for emergency standby. Photo by Paju City

Immediately after the martial law was declared, at 10:48 PM, Mayor Kim Kyung-il ordered the emergency assembly of Paju City officials at grade 5 and above. Then, at 11:15 PM, he released a statement on Facebook saying, "The unlawful martial law is null and void. The National Assembly must immediately pass a resolution to lift the martial law."

Despite being on leave, at 11:29 PM he arrived at the Paju City Hall office and held an emergency countermeasure meeting with officials at grade 4 and above, including the vice mayor. They closely monitored the movements of military units within Paju, the deployment of airborne troops into the National Assembly, and the voting proceedings in the National Assembly plenary session, taking all possible measures to ensure citizen safety.

Later, at 1:02 AM on the 4th, when the National Assembly passed the "Resolution to Lift Martial Law" with unanimous approval from all 190 members present, Mayor Kim Kyung-il expressed his welcome by posting on Facebook at 1:24 AM on the 4th, stating, "Justice prevails. The people win."