Access Restricted at Gyeongnam Provincial Office Following Emergency Martial Law Declaration

On the night of the 3rd, President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law, and it was reported that access to the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office building was also restricted.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's guidelines, Gyeongnam Province reportedly began controlling access to the building by verifying identities from around 11:30 PM that day.

At around 1 AM on the 4th, all 190 lawmakers attending the National Assembly plenary session voted in favor of the motion to lift martial law, and the agenda was passed, but the decision to lift martial law has not yet been finalized.

Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office. Photo by Se-ryeong Lee

Earlier, President Yoon stated, “So far, the National Assembly has initiated 22 impeachment motions against government officials since our administration began, and after the inauguration of the 22nd National Assembly in June, the 10th impeachment is currently underway. This is unprecedented anywhere in the world and has never happened since the founding of our nation.”

He also said, “The national budget process has cut all major budgets essential for the core functions of the state, drug crime control, and maintaining public safety, thereby damaging the essential functions of the state and turning the Republic of Korea into a drug haven and a state of public safety panic. Such budgetary violence is, in a word, a mockery of national finances.”

President Yoon declared, “I proclaim martial law to protect the free Republic of Korea from the threat of North Korean communist forces and to eradicate the shameless pro-North anti-state forces who are plundering the freedom and happiness of the people in one fell swoop and to uphold the free constitutional order.”

He added, “Through martial law, we will rebuild and protect the free Republic of Korea, which is falling into the abyss of national ruin. To this end, we will definitely eradicate the anti-state forces, the root cause of national ruin, who have committed atrocities until now.”

Furthermore, he explained, “This is an inevitable measure to guarantee the freedom and safety of the people, the sustainability of the state, and to hand down a proper country to future generations from the uprising of anti-state forces aiming to overthrow the system.”

President Yoon said, “Although the declaration of martial law will cause inconvenience to the majority of good citizens who believe in and follow the constitutional values of the free Republic of Korea, we will focus on minimizing these inconveniences. I will devote myself solely to protecting the free Republic of Korea, trusting only in the people. Please trust me.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.