A chaotic scene was playing out at South Korea’s legislative building in Seoul — and broadcast on Korean television — as police and soldiers tried to prevent people from entering the building early Wednesday, after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law.
Soldiers wearing helmets and carrying long guns pushed back against people who tried to enter the National Assembly building. At one point, people in the crowd raised their hands skyward as soldiers pushed forward away from the building.
Police officers wearing neon jackets were encircled by crowds of protesters and journalists as helicopters thumped overhead in the night sky.
Many people outside the building filmed the scene on cellphones, and flashbulbs lit up the exterior walls. Some people outside the building chanted and clapped.
The entrance was blocked as the speaker of the National Assembly called on lawmakers to convene in the main chamber to discuss how to respond to the marital-law declaration.
Despite the security cordon, some lawmakers managed to enter the building and gathered in the assembly chamber for what appeared to be an emergency meeting held by the speaker, Woo Won-shik. Video showed dozens of people seated in a hall.
The lawmakers adopted a resolution demanding the lifting of martial law.
The post Chaos Plays Out at South Korea’s Legislature Building appeared first on New York Times.
