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North Korean media report South Korea’s martial law crisis for first time

Placards at a rally calling for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol in front of the headquarters of the ruling People Power Party on Dec 10. PHOTO: REUTERS

SEOUL - North Korean state media KCNA on Dec 11 reported South Korea’s ongoing political turmoil since President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law attempt for the first time.

Last week’s shocking martial law order triggered concerns about a power vacuum and plunged Asia’s fourth-largest economy and a key US ally into a constitutional crisis, sending shockwaves through diplomatic and economic fronts.

After a week-long silence, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published an article on what it described as growing “social unrest” in the South due to the martial law crisis.

The dispatch did not offer much commentary but largely carried South Korean and international media reports, focusing on a series of protests joined by more than a million people calling for Mr Yoon’s impeachment.

“”The puppet Yoon Suk Yeol, who had already faced a serious crisis of governance and impeachment, declared martial law unexpectedly and unleashed the guns of the fascist dictatorship on the people,” KCNA said.

“His insane act, reminiscent of the coup during the military dictatorship decades ago, has drawn strong condemnation from all walks of life, including the opposition party, and further exploded the public’s fervour for impeachment.” REUTERS