Lawmakers from South Korea’s opposition Democratic Party (DP) managed to defy a lockdown on parliamentary headquarters to table a motion that would invalidate President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law at roughly 1:00 a.m. local time – even as armed soldiers smashed through the windows of the building and moved to clear the assembly floor.
Yoon declared martial law on Tuesday for the first time since the 1980s, citing the menace of “subversive anti-state elements” in the legislature who were blocking his administration’s agenda. Yoon denounced the opposition as “unscrupulous” and “pro-Pyongyang.”
The leader of Yoon’s own People Power Party (PPP) opposed Yoon’s declaration of martial law, while DP leader Lee Jae-myung urged the South Korean military to ignore Yoon’s orders.
“From this moment on, Mr. Yoon is no longer the president of South…
