Published: 11 Dec. 2024, 11:38
A protest rally takes place near the National Assembly complex in western Seoul on Tuesday. [YONHAP]
A protest rally takes place near the National Assembly complex in western Seoul on Tuesday. [YONHAP]
North Korea's state media on Wednesday reported on the martial law turmoil in South Korea for the first time, including the opposition's push to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, while blaming Yoon for causing nationwide chaos.
"The shocking incident of the puppet Yoon Suk Yeol regime ... suddenly declaring a martial law decree and unhesitatingly wielding the guns and knives of its fascist dictatorship wrought havoc across South Korea," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
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The same article was also published in the Rodong Sinmun, which targets the general North Korean readership, accompanied by a photo of a civic rally in South Korea held in front of the National Assembly.
The KCNA report detailed Yoon's declaration of martial law on the night of Dec. 3, its lifting six hours later, and the dismissal of an impeachment motion against Yoon at the Assembly last Saturday after ruling party lawmakers boycotted the vote.
"Several helicopters and fully armed martial law forces, including the gangster organization, the Army Special Warfare Command, were deployed to seal off the National Assembly," it said.
The report also said a large-scale civic rally took place after the impeachment motion was voted down Saturday, quoting participants who called Yoon a "disaster" and demanded his "immediate impeachment" and "punishment."
"The international community is sternly watching, with assessments that the martial law incident exposed vulnerabilities in South Korean society .... and that Yoon Suk Yeol's political life could face an early end," the report said.
It marks the first time in a week that North Korea has published articles critical of South Korea. Until Wednesday last week, the Rodong Sinmun frequently carried articles criticizing Yoon, but the news flow stopped the following day, one day after the martial law was lifted.
Yonhap