Gwangju Citizens Stay Up All Night Haunted by the "Martial Law" Nightmare: "Yoon Must Be Impeached"

'Reactions of Citizens to the First Martial Law in 44 Years
"A Debt of Gratitude to the People Who Went to the National Assembly"
"President Must Step Down for Causing Public Anxiety"'

On the morning of the 4th, Gwangju Songjeong Station is bustling with passengers. Photo by Song Bohyun

"I felt indebted to the citizens who rushed straight to the National Assembly."

On the 4th, Kim, a man in his 40s whom I met at Songjeong Station in Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju, expressed his feelings after watching President Yoon Seok-yeol's emergency martial law declaration situation last night.

He, who had purchased a ticket to Seoul for a business trip that day, said, "I watched the National Assembly situation through a live video," adding, "I wanted to start the engine and head up immediately. Seeing those people blocking the police and heavily armed martial law troops with their bare bodies made me feel distressed."

An employee who was busily cleaning from the entrance of Songjeong Station said, "I stayed up all night without sleep. I couldn't fall asleep until the moment the martial law was lifted and watched everything until the end," adding, "Though my body and mind are tired, I came to work at 5 a.m. as usual, and other employees looked similar."

On the same day, I also checked the reactions of citizens at Gwangcheon Bus Terminal in Gwangcheon-dong, Seo-gu.

On the 4th, citizens are purchasing bus tickets at Gwangcheon Terminal in Gwangju. Photo by Song Bohyun

A citizen in his 30s, who described himself as "a generation determined not to listen to the words to stay still," raised his voice, saying, "If the president makes the people this anxious, he should step down immediately."

A soldier who was on his final leave two weeks before discharge said, "After the martial law yesterday, tension spread throughout the unit," adding, "As of midnight today, squad leaders and above couldn't sleep and were on standby."

President Yoon had earlier declared martial law abruptly at around 10:24 p.m. the previous day. Afterwards, martial law troops attempted to enter the National Assembly main building, engaging in physical clashes with citizens and National Assembly officials.

Some armed forces succeeded in breaking windows and entering the National Assembly main building. To prevent them from entering the plenary hall, National Assembly staff sprayed fire extinguishers. Then, after a resolution demanding the lifting of martial law was passed at the National Assembly at around 1:14 a.m., martial law was lifted at about 4:27 a.m. on the 4th, approximately six hours later, following the National Assembly's request.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party held an emergency party meeting at the National Assembly that day and issued a resolution urging President Yoon's immediate resignation.

Democratic Party lawmakers emphasized, "President Yoon's declaration of martial law is a clear violation of the Constitution," adding, "He did not meet any of the necessary conditions for the declaration (of martial law)." They continued, "The declaration of martial law itself is null and void and a serious constitutional violation," and claimed, "This is a grave act of rebellion and a perfect reason for impeachment." They also stated, "We will not tolerate President Yoon's destruction of the constitutional order, trampling on the Constitution and democracy. President Yoon must resign immediately."