• South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, triggering opposition and an attempted military entry into parliament.
• The declaration, aimed at political adversaries, was rejected by parliament and even opposed by Yoon's party leader, Han Dong-hoon.
• Public protests ensued, demanding the withdrawal of martial law and Yoon's arrest, while the military announced a ban on political activities and media control.
• The U.S., with troops in South Korea, is monitoring the situation closely, drawing parallels to the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests and the 2022 Ukraine Invasion.

In a shocking turn of events, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late Tuesday night. This move has not only stunned the nation but also triggered a brief attempt by troops to enter the parliament. The declaration has been met with swift opposition from lawmakers and protesters, marking it as the most serious challenge to the country's democracy since the 1980s.

The martial law announcement was declared invalid by the speaker of parliament, and lawmakers voted early on Wednesday to reject it. This move by President Yoon, which he claims is aimed at his political adversaries, has been vocally opposed even by the leader of his own party, Han Dong-hoon. Han, who was present for the vote in parliament, has previously clashed with Yoon over the president's handling of recent scandals.

Live television footage from earlier showed helmeted troops, apparently tasked with imposing martial law, attempting to enter the assembly building. Parliamentary aides were seen trying to push the soldiers back by spraying fire extinguishers.

South Korean military said that the martial law would remain in place until the President says otherwise, despite parliament's vote to block it, reported local media news outlet YTN.

Public Reaction and Military Response

Following Yoon's announcement, people began gathering outside the parliament building, with some shouting: Withdraw emergency martial law! and others demanding the arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol. The military announced that activities by parliament and political parties would be banned, and that media and publishers would be under the control of the martial law command.

Interestingly, Yoon did not cite any specific threat from the nuclear-armed North, instead focusing on his domestic political opponents. This is the first time since 1980 that martial law has been declared in South Korea, a country that has had a series of authoritarian leaders early in its history but has been considered democratic since the 1980s.

The economic impact of this political turmoil was immediately felt as the Korean won fell sharply against the U.S. dollar. A central bank official stated that measures were being prepared to stabilize the market if needed.

International Response and Historical Parallels

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok convened an emergency meeting among top economic officials, according to a text message from his spokesman. Yoon's predecessor, Moon Jae-in of the Democratic Party, expressed his concern over the country's democracy being in crisis. He urged the National Assembly to act quickly to protect the democracy from crumbling and called on the people to join forces to protect and save democracy and to help the National Assembly function normally.

The United States, which has some 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea to guard against the North, is in contact with the South Korean government and is monitoring the situation closely, according to a White House spokesperson. However, a spokesman for the U.S. military command did not answer repeated phone calls.

This event bears a striking resemblance to the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests in Beijing, where martial law was declared to suppress pro-democracy protests, resulting in a violent crackdown and significant loss of life. It also echoes the 2022 Ukraine Invasion, where partial martial law was declared in regions annexed during the conflict with Ukraine.