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South Korean President Declares Martial Law; Scuffles Outside Korean Parliament. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired December 03, 2024 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:00:00]

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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Hello and welcome to the second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. This is a very special edition of the show on

this busy Tuesday. I'm Becky Anderson, coming to you live from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia at the COP16 summit.

Leaders here heavily focused on battling desertification. The host nation, Saudi Arabia, showcasing its Saudi Green initiative today. And we'll get

into that a little later this hour.

But it's not just Middle Eastern countries at center stage. The E.U. also saying today it will step up its -- in what ought to be this global

collaboration to fight drought and roll back the deserts that we are seeing increasing around the world, alongside the issues of food security, access

to water and biodiversity losses.

An awful lot going on here. All of these, of course, are part of the same larger issue and all of them exacerbated by climate change. Things couldn't

be more important and we will get to that discussion momentarily.

But I do want to begin with breaking news. Just over an hour ago, South Korea's president declared martial law. He made the announcement in a late

night TV address to the nation, saying it was necessary to protect the country from North Korea's Communist forces and accusing the main South

Korean opposition party of sympathizing with the North.

Now John Nilsson-Wright is head of the Japan and Koreas Programme at Cambridge University's Centre for Geopolitics. So joining us now live.

So let's just start you know, with a very basic question.

Why this announcement and why now?

What's your assessment?

JOHN NILSSON-WRIGHT, JAPAN AND KOREAS PROGRAMME, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE: Well, as far as I can tell -- and, of course, obviously this is a

developing situation.

The president has been responding to the efforts by the Democratic Party to call for the impeachment of a number of prosecutors. Now that looks like

just standard politics. I mean, it's not unknown for these sorts of back and forths to take place.

But for him to escalate in this way is really, frankly bizarre. I've just been out to the street here at -- in the center of Seoul and it looks as if

business as usual is continuing. I've spoken to some policemen. They're as mystified as I am to try and understand what this announcement means.

We're not seeing any sign of what would -- you would associate with martial law in terms of a restriction on people's ability to move around,

deployment of the army or the police.

But there's no doubt that this is truly unprecedented. The last time martial law was declared, I think, in this country was back in the 1980s,

when Chun Doo Hwan, the then president, in the aftermath of the assassination of Park Chung Hee, made a similar announcement.

I would say, at this point, all we can say is that this is an enormous overreaction by the president, to say the very least. And what he's trying

to do in going after the opposition in these unqualified ways, calling them effectively aligned with North Korea, is just, as I say, unprecedented.

ANDERSON: What do you expect to happen next?

NILSSON-WRIGHT: Well, I've not heard anything yet from the opposition. And I mean, this coming right at the end of the day, late in the middle of --

middle of the evening or late at night, should prompt a reaction.

I've been sitting in a conference today in which we had the former foreign minister, Park Jin, former foreign minister under the current president,

speaking quite eloquently about the importance of the rule of law, international principles, the importance of people to people diplomacy.

The importance of E.U.-South Korea cooperation in dealing with the challenges of authoritarian regimes, Russia and China.

It is frankly bizarre that this should be happening and that the president should be minded to do this. I don't think it's going to convince anyone. I

mean, it seems so patently a political move.

So I would expect the opposition to come out and, hopefully, members of the conservative establishment, who themselves have been critical of the

president -- we've seen his popularity dropping quite precipitously because of concerns about his actions, the actions of his wife -- this is a very

polarized political society.

[10:05:02]

I mean, the opposition and the government party have been at loggerheads over a whole range of issues. But that would normally be sorted out through

conventional politics and the national assembly, where the Democratic Party is in charge, would be the best place to do that.

But when politics becomes so, so charged and so emotional, I suppose there's always a risk that something like this should happen. President

Yoon has used this sort of uncompromising language before.

Two years ago, on August 15th, National Liberation Day, he gave an address in which he talked about progressive elements. By that, I interpret that to

mean, the, the opposition as being allied with the North. That seemed like rhetorical overreach.

But now we're seeing this sort of action in ways that seem to suggest he genuinely believes this and believes that this declaration of martial law

will somehow enhance his political position. It will do exactly the opposite.

And I think it's anyone's guess what may happen (INAUDIBLE).

ANDERSON: And as you and I speak, I'm just seeing a wire cross, that the Biden administration, it says that it is in touch with the South Korean

government, for what it's worth.

I mean, they will be watching this very, very closely. After all, this democracy in a region which is difficult at best for the U.S.

administration and South Korea, a key ally. And they will not want to see the -- a decimation -- I think that's probably too strong a word at this

point.

But you know, any issues that look very sort of undemocratic in this, in this country. I'm going to leave it there. Thank you very much indeed for

joining us.

CNN's Mike Valerio back with us from Seoul with more.

And, Mike, you and I spoke about a half an hour ago. Meantime, you've been working your sources.

What more have you got at this point?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that there seems to be an immediate backlash to this, with people throughout Seoul heading

to the national assembly, the heart of government a couple of kilometers away from where we're standing, to try to stop this. So those are the

pictures that you're seeing right now.

But forces that are -- or I should say we're hearing reports from what has been known now as the martial law command, that are saying anybody can be

arrested without a warrant if they are protesting in front of the national assembly.

Activities have been officially banned in front of the national assembly. But leaders of the opposition are trying to make their way back to the

building that we're seeing on the screen right here to cancel this move, to cancel this stunning development of President Yoon Suk-yeol declaring

martial law across South Korea.

So since we have been with you, we've been able to confirm the reporting that, according to this new martial law command, which is stunning in and

of itself, to say here in South Korea, that all media will fall under the control of this command.

CNN, of course, not a South Korean media entity but we are hearing the leader of the opposition saying that, if this stands, there will be tanks,

the leader of the opposition, Lee Jae-myung, can foresee. So certainly unsettling language.

We want to be careful with our reporting. But as we cross midnight, we have been able to witness people who are not standing for this.

The question is, how will the police react?

Will the military be called in?

It seems as though we're getting reports that certain members of the military have been called to be at the ready. So truly remarkable

developments, Becky, in this bastion of democratic rule.

When headlines of this first crossed, there were people who thought that, am I reading this right?

Is this North Korea where this is happening?

But this was an unplanned, televised address, with the president of South Korea saying that unspecified martial rule measures were needed for, in his

view, to rid the government of forces sympathetic to Communist and North Korean ideology.

But it remains unclear what is the connection between getting rid of people who disagree with the president -- again, from his point of view -- and

declaring martial law?

We are all trying to figure out what really was the progenitor of this happening. But I can tell you, Becky, what we have is a deeply unpopular

conservative president.

[10:10:04]

His approval ratings are hovering in the low 20s, week after week. And when you live here in Seoul, you hear echoing throughout the streets, protests

demanding him to step down. University professors throughout the country demanding him to step down as well.

So there has been a concerted effort by opposition leaders to impeach the president, Yoon Suk-yeol, and to impeach certain ministers in his

government.

So Yoon Suk-yeol is saying that the parliament, the national assembly, has become paralyzed because of these opposition impeachment calls. But people

who disagree with him would say this is the democratic process. This is the machinery of government in South Korea, working as it has been since

military dictatorship ended in the 1980s.

So what we are waiting to see is what kind of response will be met by protesters confronting police at the national assembly. We are hoping and

praying that the worst is averted.

But simply stunning developments with sweeping controls that the presidential office is announcing over various segments of South Korean

society -- Becky.

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: Mike, let me just stop you there because, as you are speaking so eloquently and describing what we understand to be going on, we are looking

at two sets of images, one which is on the screen now, which is clearly the military now moving in on protesters down by the national assembly there.

And we had other images of a much more sort of, I would say, quieter crowd. This is certainly -- I don't want to go over the top with this. I mean, the

military are clearly there. There are youngsters there as well. And you can now see these pictures, Mike.

Just describe where this is and what you understand to be happening here.

VALERIO: So this is Yeouido. This is in front of the national assembly, which is the heart of government in South Korea, where leaders of the

opposition have said they are going to come in the middle of the night to try to undo what is happening right here.

So it's a couple miles away from where we are broadcasting from. We're in the center of Seoul, right across from Gwanghwamun Square, which is where

so many of these protests have unfolded to call for the impeachment of South Korea's president.

So it appears as though we have a couple hundred protesters. We are expecting more. This certainly -- to say that this was unexpected is, I

would say, the understatement of this early morning. So we're waiting to see how many people get out of bed, come from all corners of South Korea to

try to stop this.

We don't have reports of violence yet, as I'm just checking my phone and email and reports from the local authorities. Most local authorities are

trying to figure out what to do exactly with this.

But the epicenter of what we are seeing will be in front of parliament, the national assembly. That is going to be the nexus point. Interestingly

enough, it's a counterbalance to where the president announced this.

He announced this from his office in Yongsan, which is the heart of South Korea's Defense Department, the defense apparatus.

He moved, President Yoon Suk-yeol, his residence from the historic Blue House, which I can look at from outside our window, to the head of the --

to the center of the Defense Department and made this announcement from there, from that compound.

But what we're seeing is not outside the presidential office. This is where government, where the people go. And we can see people who are going at

this late hour to try to undo this and make their voices heard in the middle of martial law.

ANDERSON: So let's just remind our viewers where we are at. The South Korean President, Yoon Suk-yeol, on Tuesday, late at night, around about

half past 10 local time, declared martial law in an unannounced late night address, broadcast live on television.

He talked about anti-state elements, Communist elements; those in Seoul taking that to be the efforts of the opposition party. We are now seeing

the military on the streets, at least down by the national assembly, where opposition leaders have called for people to gather.

I mean, it looks relatively peaceful. There's a bit of sort of pushing and shoving going on at present.

[10:15:00]

I guess the question is, Mike -- and this is a difficult one to answer but you've been calling around, you've been working your sources.

I mean, what should we expect next?

VALERIO: We're going to see if this is undone, Becky. We're going to see if members of parliament are allowed in the building. That's what we're

watching for, first and foremost. In addition to potential clashes, seeing what this iteration of martial law is all about.

We're going to see if any clashes happen, if people are arrested without warrants, which is a hallmark of martial law.

And we're going to be watching to see if members of parliament can get into the building after activities have been declared suspended over and done

with for now at parliament, to see if they can vote to undo this.

Across South Korean TV, we have seen people being interviewed who are members of the legislature. We have seen posts on X of members of the

legislature, saying that they are going to come back to Yeouido, where you found the neighborhood -- where you find the national assembly to try to

overturn this.

But this is, in our 21st century, uncharted territory. I can't recall, it's certainly unclear how the legislature undoes a presidential proclamation.

So we're waiting to see what happens.

And if there are clashes and if there is a vote to bring back democracy as it was here at the national assembly, that's what we should be paying

attention to.

ANDERSON: Let's bring in Kenneth Choi.

Thank you. Mike, I'm going to let you go again and work the phones and we'll get you back on.

Kenneth Choi joined us last hour. Want to get him back. He's the international editor for the Korean newspaper, the "Chosun Ilbo."

And you and I spoke, I guess, about an hour ago.

Since then what have you learned?

KENNETH CHOI, INTERNATIONAL EDITOR, "CHOSUN ILBO": Actually, now the military is trying to enter the national parliament. So I'm not sure how

many military personnel are there. But, you know, it's -- it doesn't look good.

So hopefully there's no clashes or any bloodshed, you know. So a lot of people are very anxious there. A lot of rumors going on. The -- it seems

like the national assembly men's, you know, parliamentarians, the assembly related people are all congregating in front of the military to block them

from entering.

So, you know, and then three helicopters landed in the national parliament. I don't know what they're doing. But, it doesn't seem, I mean, it's not a

good omen at this moment for the democracy of Korea.

ANDERSON: We're looking at these live pictures, sir, as you and I speak, this is the military outside the national assembly.

Take your sort of journalistic hat off just for a moment.

I mean, how do you feel when you see these images?

You know that martial law has been called. This is, you know, pretty historic stuff, isn't it, certainly over the last 40 years.

CHOI: Yes.

ANDERSON: I mean what's your sense as a South Korean?

CHOI: Actually, very unsettling.

Never imagined that I will live through another martial law. You know, since 1980s. So it's very, I mean, a lot of people, a lot of my friends, a

lot of my associates are, you know, dismayed, bewildered.

You know, I think, you know the democracy that we have built so far over the past 40 years is maybe, you know screeching halt. I don't know where we

go from here. To tell the truth, the North Korean agents infiltrated into South Korea, maybe it's a big problem but I'm not sure.

I'm not sure how many people in Korea will believe that these North Korean agents sort of destabilized our society, because, you know, our democracy

is pretty strong. We can withstand all these, you know, threats and so on in a very, you know, with a rule based society.

So, a lot of people are very dismayed. I'm not sure whether, you know, there was --- support the president's decision. I'm not. We all sort of,

how do I say, very anxious to see, you know, whether this will play out the way he planned.

And if it doesn't, you know, play out the way he planned, then there will be a bloodshed. And then, you know, this bloodshed is something that, it's

not worth this whole thing. So we are very, you know, anxious. And, journalistically the martial law will probably take over our newspapers as

well that's what you know, they declared.

[10:20:02]

So again, you know, that's, you know, the impeachment to the freedom of speech.

ANDERSON: And let's just discuss what that means for you as a media organization.

CHOI: It doesn't look good certainly, because so far, up until this moment, we had no, you know, restriction whatsoever of what we are

reporting. You know, whether you're opposition or you're for the government, you know, it didn't matter at all.

You know, we -- it is a free society. So you can criticize the president, you can criticize the opposition leader and so on. You can express your

political views no matter what. But, with this martial law, I'm not sure -- I guess right now, the martial law decree says that, you know, any

political gatherings are prohibited.

Any political, you know, expression is not allowed, so, I don't -- and I don't know how long this is going to go on. So, it's definitely a, you

know, breach of freedom of press, freedom of speech and breach to democracy.

So and, you know, I don't know whether this is a justified means to, you know, purge all the North Korean agents in our society. So a lot of people

are shaking their heads, you know. They are they are putting big question marks at the moment.

ANDERSON: Yes. And, Kenneth, I'm just going to read out before I take a break what we are hearing from the South Korean opposition leader, who has

now said martial law is, quote, "unconstitutional" and has gone on to say that tanks will soon control the country.

This is the leader of South Korea's opposition Democratic Party, saying the declaration of emergency martial law is unconstitutional, calling it a move

that goes against the people.

Lee Jae-myung ordered his lawmakers to the national assembly for a meeting to discuss the procedures for lifting those measures. President Yoon

declared emergency martial law for no reason, Lee said. Tanks, armored vehicles and soldiers with guns and swords will soon control the country.

Those are the words of the South Korean opposition leader.

We are going to take a very short break, back after this.

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ANDERSON: Right.

The scene right now in Seoul, after the South Korean president declared martial law, I want to bring you up to speed on what we have just seen in

the last 20 minutes or so.

This was the scene at the entrance to the national assembly in Seoul shortly after President Yoon declared martial law. CNN affiliate JTBC were

on the ground moments ago as parliamentary members were trying to gather.

Soldiers, though were blocking them from entering. Clear images of the military. You can see them in these other pictures from moments ago. All

this happening after the president said this.

[10:25:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOON SUK-YEOL, PRESIDENT OF SOUTH KOREA (through translator): I declare emergency martial law to defend the Republic of Korea from the danger of

North Korean Communist forces.

To eradicate the shameless pro-North Korean forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people at once and to protect the free

constitutional order.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: I want to bring in Kenneth Choi, who is the international editor for the Korean newspaper the "Chosun Ilbo," and, of course, Mike Valerio,

CNN's man on the ground in Seoul.

Let's talk about who the South Korean president is, his background; former prosecutor. He's taken a very strong stance, Mike, against North Korea. And

tonight in calling martial law, he called out what he called Communist elements, anti-state elements within the opposition. Just explain who the

president is and what his position is.

VALERIO: Well, we have a very conservative president, Becky, and he is trying to show strength in all of his moves against North Korea, be it any

kind of military provocation, trash balloons that have flown over the DMZ from North Korea to South Korea.

He has tried to respond in a huge contrast to the more liberal governments that we've had in Seoul over the past few years with belligerent rhetoric,

walking up, you know, just -- I don't want to say just to the line.

But tensions simmering and trying to be a very strong force rather than trying to come to the table with reconciliation with Kim Jong-un, trying to

negotiate how they're going to move forward.

You don't see that with this government and with this president. A very strong line against North Korea. But we're trying to decode exactly what he

means in this speech. This is the first time we have heard that language of, from his point of view, North Korean and Communist elements in the

government that he needs to stop.

What I think everybody should know, Becky, is that this is a very unpopular president, with his approval rating in the low 20 percent range.

And forces that are in the opposition party in parliament in Seoul have tried to impeach him for months, if not years, saying that he is a weak

leader, ineffective and he has lost the mandate of the populace across South Korea.

So a question that is being asked at this very early morning hour is, if this was a power play from the South Korean president, to try to tamp down

in one of the most heavy handed ways possible on protests that are in every corner of the country for every single weekend.

I can tell you, living in Seoul, you hear protests that call for the removal of South Korea's president, those protests echoing throughout the

streets every single Saturday.

But one has to think, what would be the end game here?

What could this possibly lead to?

This is, you know, befuddling, to say the least, so many of us who are wondering what is the exit strategy of Yoon Suk-yeol, going back to a time

when South Korea was ruled by a military dictatorship in the 1980s?

What we're watching, I should point out with these pictures, these are protesters who are trying to get into the national assembly.

And Becky, new since the last time we talked to you a couple of minutes ago, we are getting reports and are confirming reports that members of the

national assembly are being blocked from getting back inside that building.

Their mission for tonight is to get back in the national assembly to try to undo this, to try to cancel the declaration of martial law.

And we have reports that there are members of law enforcement who are blocking members of the national assembly from coming back in and trying to

revote -- I shouldn't say revote -- to try to hold a vote, to undo this measure.

So we will be waiting to see if these lawmakers are allowed back in the building. We're getting the supplies that we need to head on down there as

well, because that seems to be certainly the epicenter, the cri de coeur, to try to stop this stunning move that has unfolded within the past two

hours.

Kenneth, it's past midnight as I understand it now in South Korea. This all unfolding over the past, what, 1.5 hours, two hours. And Mike talking about

the fact that martial law hasn't been called and used for more than 40 years, back in the '80s and before that.

[10:00:00]

Martial law was actually declared a number of times and it was used, as I understand it, to sort of quell political unrest from a ruling party that

was trying to hold on to power. I mean, you've been around for a bit and not calling out your age at this point.

But let's just talk about, you know, your reflections on where we are at, given where we were 40 years ago. And, you know, for those who are of a

certain age, this will be all too familiar and a real concern.

CHOI: Actually, to be exact, it's 43 years since the last martial law was declared. And I believe that most of the people in the country has not

really experienced this thing. So it's completely new to them.

My kids, you know, they don't understand what this is like. So back then it was -- it was, yes. As you said, you know, the martial law was declared

because of this massive demonstration. You know, there is a, you know, constant clashes with the police. That's why, you know, the military junta

declared the martial law.

This time, you know, it's completely different. I mean, yes, there was a weekly demonstration, you know, to impeach; let's impeach the president,

blah, blah, blah. But still, you know, people, you know, OK, one element of the society, you know, say this.

The other side of the, you know, society can say whatever they want. So, you know, the vast majority of the population, you know. Nevertheless, we

enjoy the freedom of speech. We enjoy, you know, full fledged democracy. And all of a sudden the president declares the martial law in order to

eradicate these North Korean agents.

We understand his frustration, again, because the opposition party has impeached like 18 of his cabinet members, you know, cut down all the

budgets and try to, you know, hamper the government and almost, you know, putting the government into a stall.

So, you know, the president is frustrated. We all understand that. But I'm not sure whether, you know, declaring a martial law is justifying his

motive. So, you know, the good majority of the population, I mean people like me.

Yes, we experienced that, you know, unfortunate things back 43 years ago. But most of the young people don't understand what's going on. And I just

saw pictures of the massive gridlock in the roads around the parliament area because they blocked the road off.

So, you know, there will be a lot of inconvenience. Young people, you know, are just -- you know, don't understand what's happening, you know. And, you

know, another thing, another thing that I like to mention is we're not so sure whether the military will back this up.

Because, you know, military has been under the civilian control for 43 years. And if, you know, the military decides not to move or mobilize, then

there's no way to enforce this martial law.

The police, if the police is not moving along, you know, again, you know, they're not, then the martial art is not going to be effective. And, you

know, with the cell phones, you know, you can YouTube all over the world any time of the day.

So I don't know how you can control the freedom of speech issues as well. So I'm not sure that, you know, the president has thought through all this

when he declared the martial law.

And, you know, the -- already the president of the national assembly is saying that he will undo this by simply, you know, putting a motion on the

floor and, you know, if that happens, then the president has to repeal the martial law.

And then what?

You know, as, you know, the endgame is not certain. So, yes, we're not sure where this is all heading right now.

ANDERSON: Yes.

Where's the off ramp at this point?

It will be interesting to see whether the president made this decision in agreement with the defense minister, for example. Perhaps we'll find out

more detail on that in the hours to come.

The White House certainly says that it has been in touch with the Korean government. And we're going to take a very short break. We'll do more from

our White House correspondent after this.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:35:00]

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ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. I want to return to our breaking news out of South Korea for you.

President Yoon Suk-yeol has declared martial law. In a late night TV address he said that that was necessary to safeguard South Korea from what

he described as threats posed by the North.

Now a source tells CNN that the Biden administration is in contact with the government of South Korea. Here is Yoon's message.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YOON (through translator): Through this martial law, I will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into the abyss of

national ruin.

To this end, I will definitely eradicate the anti-state forces who are the main culprit of the country's ruination and conduct vicious activities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, CNN's Arlette Saenz traveling with U.S. President Joe Biden. She joins us now from where the president is in Luanda in Angola.

It's good to have you. You've been talking to sources.

What have they been telling you?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

Well, Becky, sources have told me that the U.S. is in contact with the government of South Korea and they are closely monitoring the situation.

There is no question they will continue to monitor this very closely, given the fact that South Korea is such a key ally to the United States.

President Biden last saw President Yoon when they were both attending the G20 and the APEC summits in South America. And, in fact, President Biden

had held a trilateral meeting with Yoon, the prime minister of Japan, trying to tout the relationships with those two countries.

Saying that they believe that the U.S. work with South Korea and Japan will be what would lead to long lasting stability in the Indo-Pacific.

So there's no question that the U.S. is going to keep a very close eye on this situation, especially when you also think about the fact there are

about 28,500 U.S. troops who are currently stationed in South Korea. They work very closely or very closely with the South Korean government.

We're waiting to hear if they're -- U.S. has any word of how this could impact them. But certainly this is something that we anticipate hearing a

bit more from the U.S. later on. Now as you noted, President Biden is traveling here in Angola, his first trip to south -- to sub-Saharan Africa

as president.

We're checking to see whether he has been briefed on the situation and are still waiting to hear back from the White House at this moment.

But certainly this is something they will be watching very closely throughout the day, as they are hearing that a key ally of the U.S., in

South Korean President Yoon, has declared martial law in his country.

ANDERSON: And let me just keep you there because I just want to quote for our viewers exactly what we heard from the South Korean president.

He said, "Through this martial law, I will rebuild and protect our republic that is falling into the abyss of national ruin."

And there will be those that are -- there are already those who are criticizing the South Korean president as acting in a very undemocratic

way.

Will this be how the White House sees this move in what is a sort of bastion of democracy in the Asian region?

[10:40:09]

SAENZ: Yes, I think it will be really interesting to see exactly how the White House navigates this, because, of course, President Biden has long

talked about needing to uphold the standards of democracy.

At the same time, South Korea has been an incredibly close ally to the U.S., to President Biden as well. You'll remember that the president had

hosted then prime minister Kishida of Japan and President Yoon at the Camp David summit, the first time he was hosting world leaders there.

He has developed a relationship with Yoon during his time in office. So it will be interesting to see how exactly the White House navigates this,

especially as Biden has really staked a lot of his political career on needing to uphold democracy.

ANDERSON: Fascinating.

It's good to have you, Arlette. And as you speak, I'm just getting more information in to CNN. The chief of South Korea's -- the president's own

party, own political party, has condemned the introduction of martial law.

Han Dong-hoon, who previously served as President Yoon Suk-yeol's justice minister, said the move is, and I quote, "wrong" and he would, quote,

"block it," together with rival lawmakers. That is according to the Yonhap News Agency.

We're reporting that on CNN. The chief of the South Korean president's own political party suggesting that this martial law is wrong and that he would

block it.

And this, these pictures now coming to us, what is it, 20 to 1 in the morning. This is the national assembly. And this is where supporters of the

opposition lawmakers have gathered.

This is -- these are images of youngsters in support of that opposition party, who have called on its leaders to go to the national assembly. They

want to vote down this martial law, which was announced just about two hours ago by the South Korean president.

We've seen some scuffles but it has to be said this has been relatively quiet outside the national assembly. As far as we can tell, our team is on

its way there now. Obviously this is an emergency martial law instigated, which is going to make things a little bit more difficult as far as the

media is concerned in South Korea going forward.

These are images coming out of the national assembly here now and you can see that the army has been deployed. We have not heard from the defense

minister. So it is unclear at this point whether the defense minister has actually acknowledged, is in agreement, suggested this move to the

president of the country.

Does look as if a little bit of tear gas is possibly being used there. Can't tell. A little bit of gas of some sort at the national assembly.

Let's have a listen in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).

Some images coming to us from Seoul in South Korea. Look, this is in and around the national assembly two hours after the announcement of martial

law. This was an unannounced decision until the president appeared on national TV.

This came as a big shock and a surprise, certainly to our correspondents, to those that we have spoken to and I'm sure to people on the ground. Let's

bring in Matthew Chance, who is our global affairs editor here at CNN, watching these pictures with me.

A couple of hours in now, after that announcement, Matthew, what are you hearing?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's still very shocking, isn't it, to see a country like South Korea, which was seen

as a real pillar of stable democracy in Asia, to find itself convulsing in this kind of crisis, with its president declaring martial law.

Citing threats posed by North Korea's Communist forces and anti-state elements. It caused all sorts of panic and chaos and uncertainty in the

country and in the region. Of course, as you know, people were speculating about, you know, what this was all about.

What's starting to emerge, with these pictures of the parliament building in Seoul, the South Korean capital being sort of, you know, with protesters

heading toward the gates of the parliament, with lawmakers inside, with troops inside the parliament grounds as well.

[10:45:00]

What's starting to emerge is the idea that this wasn't a sort of existential threat being faced by North -- by South Korea from its enemies

in the North. This was much more of a kind of political maneuver undertaken by President Yoon, who is embattled on the political front in South Korea.

You know, the party that is in opposition to him has the majority in the South Korean parliament and has been trying to get through, for instance, a

budget law, which he's been opposed to but he's been unable to veto it.

There have been all sorts of corruption allegations against President Yoon, many of them surrounding his wife, who's accused of, you know, sort of

peddling power and the misuse of power and other corruption charges. There were threats that she was going to be investigated as well.

And even though we can't be absolutely certain at this stage, it does look like, as I say, this was a, you know, a very sort of heavy handed attempt -

- or this is a very heavy handed attempt by President Yoon to maneuver politically and to silence his critics and the opposition inside the

country.

If so, you can see from those images right now, the people of South Korea, who are, in the middle of the night now, are confronted with this new

political situation in their country, do not look like they're going to take it lying down.

As you can see, those scenes there in those confrontations or clashes between protesters and the military in the area of the South Korean

parliament in Seoul, Becky.

ANDERSON: Look, we're going to take a very short break at this point.

Stay with us, folks. We've got our chief global affairs correspondent, Matthew Chance, with us. We'll leave you as we go to the break with these

images, coming to us live from Seoul in South Korea.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:50:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ANDERSON: Right. Let's recap our breaking news out of South Korea for you. President Yoon Suk-yeol has declared martial law. These are images live

from the national assembly.

That declaration from the president came in a late night TV address to the nation just over two hours ago. He accused the main South Korean opposition

party of sympathizing with the North. And he said his declaration was necessary to protect the country from what he called the danger of North

Korean Communist forces.

However, the president did not say what exact measures will be taken. And I want to remind you what has happened since then, because these are now live

pictures. And this is in and around the entrance to the national assembly, possibly inside.

Now we've seen some pictures of troops outside the national assembly in Seoul shortly after President Yoon declared martial law. In those, we could

see clear images of the military moving around in parliament and reportedly blocking people from entering.

There were some kerfuffles. This is just moments ago, coming to us from a number of our affiliates, including CNN affiliate JTBC. They were on the

ground moments ago as parliamentary members were trying to gather. But soldiers were blocking them from entering.

So let's bring in Andrew Yeo, who is senior fellow and chair of the South Korea Foundation at the Brookings Institution's Center for East Asia

Policies -- East Asia Policy Studies. He joins us live from Seoul.

Sir, firstly, your reaction to what we have seen and heard over the past two hours.

ANDREW YEO, SENIOR FELLOW AND CHAIR, SOUTH KOREA FOUNDATION, CENTER FOR EAST ASIA POLICIES, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Well, this happened overnight.

And when I woke up, I was shocked to see the news.

It's 2024. I mean, there used to be protest demonstrations and martial law in the 1980s. But South Korea is a vibrant democracy. So to see martial law

declared is just really unprecedented.

ANDERSON: You've heard the president, you've listened to his words. They were relatively short.

What do you make of what he said?

And why it is that he believes it was important to call this martial law, declare this martial law?

YEO: Yes. It is. Yes. In his address to the nation. He talked about anti- -- North Korea; he talked about pro-North Korea forces that needed to be

eradicated. He talked about Communist sympathizers. He talked about drugs that were coming into the country.

There was nothing really specific. He made these blanket accusations and, on one hand, I'm not completely surprised. This is a conservative president

who has been influenced by something known as the New Right Movement, which has its streak or its foundations within, you know, strong anti-Communist,

anti-North Korean sentiments.

Some of his cabinet officials also carry this ideology. And so it's come out from time to time in other speeches. But it's almost as if this

language, this rhetoric, has been pushed into overdrive.

In the meantime, we also know that President Yoon's popularity is quite low. It's been hovering between 20 percent and 25 percent in the last

month. His popularity has never exceeded over 40 percent.

And he's having -- he's facing stiff opposition within the national assembly. One of -- his bill for the budget was just rejected. And they

were talking about cutting budgets to the presidency, to the prosecutor's office.

So I believe that it's more about a domestic play. So you may use anti- Communist forces, North Korean security issues as a reason for martial law but we haven't seen any credible or clear evidence of that yet.

And so in some ways, this may be a dramatic domestic political ploy, to deflect, deflect attention.

ANDERSON: The opposition party vowing to vote this down. Let me just quote for our viewers who may just be joining us exactly what the president said.

In part, he said, "Through the martial law, I will rebuild and protect our republic that is falling into the abyss of national ruin."

He clearly has an intention in declaring martial law. He says he will rebuild and protect the republic.

I mean, what do you understand to be his powers at this point?

And where is this headed?

Because it isn't clear from the president's speech what he intends to do next.

[10:55:06]

YEO: Yes. So he's declared martial law. And usually under martial law, you would cut off communications; there would be a media blackout. The place

would -- I mean, it's late at night in Seoul. It's actually early morning now, 1 am.

So you would see a curfew imposed. We haven't seen that extent. We haven't seen the military rolling in. It's not like martial law in the 1980s, when

tanks came in to crack down on protesters.

There have been some scuffles, as you've been showing, at the national assembly, with riot police. So it's not a total martial law. So I don't --

but we don't know. We don't know if things could escalate, if things could get worse.

But right now, it seems like he wants to shut down the government. And again, the motive behind it, we're not sure, other than he had very weak

domestic political standing. And maybe he felt that he couldn't proceed forward without kind of shutting down the government and hitting the reset

button.

Yes, South Korea has a lot of political issues --

(CROSSTALK)

YEO: -- yes, sure.

Yes?

ANDERSON: Apologies. I'm going to have to let you go because we have to take a very short break before the top of the hour. And we will, though,

continue with this breaking news after the break.

So viewers, please stay with us.

Andrew, thank you for your analysis and insight, important to us as we continue to report on this story.

The president of South Korea declaring emergency martial law a couple of hours ago. These are images coming to us from live inside the national

assembly. Stay with us.

END